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NADA THE LILY 


WORKS BY H. RIDER HAGGARD 


PARLIAMENTARY BLUE-BOOK. 

Report to H.M.'s Government on the Salvation 
Army Colonies in the United States, with Scheme 
OF National Land Settlement. [Cd. 2562] 

POLITICAL HISTORY. 

Cetewayo and his White Neighbours. 


WORKS ON SOCIOLOGY, AGRICULTURE, 
AND COUNTRY LIFE. 


Rural England (2 vols.). 
Rural Denmark and its 
Lessons. 


A Gardener’s Year. 


The Poor and the Land. 
Regeneration. 

A Farmer’s Year. 


“ Mr Rider Haggard is probably most widely known as a 
novelist, but, as a matter of fact, there are few men now writ- 
ing English whose books on vital sociological questions are of 
such value as his, and hardly one amofig this small number 
who has grasped as he has grasped the dangers that beset the 
future of the English- speaking people, and the way these dan- 
gers can best be met."— Mr. Theodore Roosevelt in “ The Out- 
look," New York, July i, iqi /. 


BOOK OF TRAVEL. 
A Winter Pilgrimage. 
NOVELS. 


Dawn. 

The Witch’s Head. 

Jess. 

Colonel Quaritch, V.C 


Beatrice. 

Joan Haste. 
Doctor Therne. 
Siella Fregelius. 


The Way of the Spirit. 


ROMANCES 


King Solomon’s Mines. 

She. 

Ayesha: The Return of She. 
Lallan Quatermain. 

Mr. Meeson’s Will. 
Allan’s Wife. 

^ Cleopatra. 

Eric Brighteyes. 

Nada the Lily. 
Montezuma’s Daughter. 
The People of the Mist. 
Heart of the World. 
Swallow. 

Marie. 

The Mahatma and the 
Hare. 

Allan and The Holy 
Flower. 


Black Heart and White 
Heart. 

LYSBE'I H. 

Pearl-Maiden. 

The Brethren. 

The Spirit of Bambatse 
(Benita). 

Margaret. 

The Ghost Kings. 

The Yellow God: An Idol 
OF Africa. 

Morning Star. 

The Lady op Blossholme. 

g uEEN Sheba’s Ring. 

ED Eve. 

i Child of Storm. 

I The Wanderer s Necklace, 
I The Ivory Child. 


(/« Collaboration with Andrew Lang) 
The World’s Desire. 


Nada the Lily 


^ BY 

h.*^'rider haggard 

v( 


AUTHOR OF “KING SOLOMON’S MINES,” “SHE,” 
“ALLAN QUATERMAIN,” ETC., ETC. 



LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. 

Fourth Avenue & 30th Street, New York 

LONDON, BOMBAY AND CALCUTTA 


1918 



COPTBIGHT, 1891 
BY H. RIDER HAGGARD 








First Edition, April, 1S92 

Reprinted May, 1892, November, 1893, March, 1896, 
December. 1902. March, 1908 
May 1913 


January 1918 


DEDICATION. 


Sompseu : 

For I will call you hy the name that for fifty years 
has been honoured by every tribe between the Zambesi and 
Cape Agulhas^ — I greet you ! 

Soiyipseu^ my father^ I have written a book that tells 
of men and matters of which you know the most of any 
who still look upon the light; therefore^ I set your name 
within that book and^ such as it is, I offer it to you. 

If you knew not Chaka, you and he have seen the same 
swis shine, you knew his brother Panda and his captains, 
and perhaps even that very Mopo who tells this tale, his 
servant, who slew him with the Princes, You have seen 
the circle of the witch-doctors and the unconquerable Zulu 
impis rushing to war ; you have crowned their kings and 
shared their councils, and with your son^s blood you have 
expiated a statesman's error and a general s fault, 

Sompseu, a song has been sung in my ears of how first 
you mastered this people of the Zulu, Is it not true, my 
father, that for long hours you sat silent and alone, while 
three thousand warriors shouted for your life? And 
when they grew weary, did you not stand and say, point- 
ing towards the ocean: '‘'‘Kill me if you wish, men of 
Cetywayo, but I tell you that for every drop of my blood 
a hundred avengers shall rise from yonder sea ! ” And 
then, so it was told me, the regiments turned staring 
towards the Black Water, as though the day of Ulundi 
had already come and they saw the white slayers creeping 
across the plains. 

Thus, Sompseu, your name became great among the 
people of the Zulu, as already it was great among many 


vl 


DEDICATION 


another tribe^ and their nobles did you homage^ and they 
gave you the Bay^te, the royal salute^ declaring by the^ 
mouth of their Council that in you dwelt the spirit of 
Chaka, 

Many years have gone by since then^ and now you are 
old^ my father. It is many years even since I was a boy., 
and followed you when you went up among the Boers and 
took their country for the Queen. 

Why did you do this., my father ? I will answer^ who 
know the truth. You did it because., had it not been done., 
the Zulus would have stamped out the Boers. Were not 
Cetywayo' s impis gathered against the land., and was it 
not because it became the Queen's land that at your word 
he sent them murmuring to their kraals ? ^ To save blood- 
shed you annexed the country beyond the Vaal. Perhaps 
it had been better to leave it., since “ Death chooses fo?’ i 
himself" and after all there was killing — of our own peo- 
ple., and with the killing., shame. But in those days we 
did not guess what we should live to see., and of Majuba 
we thought only as a little hill! 

Enemies have borne false witness against you on this 
matter., Sompseu., you who never erred except through over 
kindness. Yet what does that avail? When you have 
“ gone beyond " it will be forgotten., since the sting of 
ingratitude passes and lies must wither like the winter ' 
veldt. Only your name will not be forgotten ; as it was 
heard in life so it shall be heard in story., and I pray that., . 
however humbly., mine may pass down with it. Chance 
has taken me by another path., and I must leave the ways , 
of action that I love and bury myself in books., but the old 
days and friends are in my mind., nor while I have memory 
shall I forget them and you. 

Therefore., though it be for the last time., from far across \ 
the water I speak to you., and lifting my hand I give you ' 
your “Sibonga”^ and that royal salute., to which., now \ 

1 “ I thank my father Sompseu for his message. I am glad that he has 
sent it, because the Dutch have tired me out, and I intended to fight them 
once and once only, and to drive them over the Vaal. Kahana, you see 
my impU are gathered. It was to fight the Dutch I called them together ; 
now I send them hack to their homes.” — Message from Cetywayo to 
Sir T. Shepstone, April, 1877. 

2 Titles of praise. 


DEDICATION' 


vij 

that its kings are gone and the “ People of Heaven ” are 
no more a nation^ with Her Majesty you are alone 
entitled : — 

BaySte ! Baha^ Nkosi ya makosi ! 

Ngonyama ! Indhlovu ai pendulwa ! 

Wen^ 0 wa vela wasi pata ! 

Wen' 0 wa hluV izizwe zonke za patwa nguive ! 

Wa geina nge la Mahun' o wa ha hluV u yedwa ! 
TJmsizi we zintandane e zihlupekayo ! 

Si ya kuleka Baba ! 

BayHe^ T'Sompseu!^ 

and farewell! 

H, RIDER HAGGARD 


To Sir Theophilus Shepstone, K.C.M.G. 
Natal, 13 September, 1801. 


1 Bayete, Father, Chief of Chiefs ! 

Lion ! Elephant that is not turned ! 

You who nursed us from of old ! 

You who overshadowed all peoples and took charge of them, 
And ended by mastering the Boers with your sin^e strength J 
Help of the fatherless when in trouble I 
Salutation to you, Father I 
Bayete, O Sompseu ! 








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PEEFAOE. 


The writer of this romance has been encouraged in his 
task by a purpose somewhat beyond that of the setting out 
of a wild tale of savage life. When he was yet a lad, — 
now some seventeen years ago, — fortune took him to South 
Africa. There he was thrown in with men who, for thirty 
or forty years, had been intimately acquainted with the 
Zulu people, with their history, their heroes, and their 
customs. From these he heard many tales and traditions, 
some of which, perhaps, are rarely told nowadays, and in 
time to come may cease to be told altogether. Then the 
Zulus were still a nation; now that nation has been de- 
stroyed, and the aim of its white rulers is to root out the 
warlike spirit for which it was remarkable, and to replace 
it by a spirit of peaceful progress. The Zulu military 
organization, perhaps the most wonderful in its way that 
the world has seen, is already a thing of the past ; it per- 
ished at Ulundi. It was Chaka who invented that organi- 
zation, building it up from the smallest beginnings. When 
he appeared at the commencement of this century, it was 
as the ruler of a single small tribe ; when he fell, in the 
year 1828, beneath the assegais of his brothers, Umhlangana 
and Dingaan, and of his servant, Mopo or Umbopo, as he is 
also called, all south-eastern Africa was at his feet, and it 
is said that in his march to power he had slaughtered more 
than a million human beings.^ An attempt has been made 

1 At the commencement of the present century the population of south- 
eastern Africa was, comparatively speaking, dense. Chaka thinned it. — 
Author. 

ix 


X 


PREFACE, 


in these pages to set out the true character of this colossal 
genius and most evil man, — a Napoleon and a Tiberius in 
one, — and also that of his brother and successor, Dingaan, 
so no more need be said of them here. The author’s aim, 
moreover, has been to convey, in a narrative form, some 
idea of the remarkable spirit which animated these kings 
and their subjects, and to make accessible, in a popular 
shape, incidents of African history which are now, for the 
most part, only to be found in a few scarce works of refer- 
ence, rarely consulted, except by students. 

It is obvious that such a task has presented difficulties, 
since he who undertakes it must for a time forget his civili- 
zation, and think with the mind, and speak with the voice 
of a Zulu of the old regime. All the horrors perpetrated by 
the Zulu tryants cannot be published in this polite age of 
melahite and torpedoes ; their details therefore have been 
suppressed. Still much remains, and those who think it 
wrong that massacre and fighting should be written of, — 
except by special correspondents, — or that the sufferings 
of mankind beneath one of the world’s most cruel tyrannies 
should form the groundwork of romance, may be invited to 
leave this book unread. 

Most, indeed nearly all, of the historical incidents here 
recorded are true in substance. Thus it is said that Chaka 
did kill his mother, Unandi, for the reason given, and de- 
stroy an entire tribe in the Tatiyana cleft, and that he 
prophesied of the coming of the white man after receiving 
his death wounds. Of the incident of the Missionary and 
the furnace of logs, it is impossible to speak so certainly. 
It came to the writer from the lips of an old traveller in 
‘ the Zulu ’ ; but he cannot discover any confirmation of it. 
Still, these kings undoubtedly put their soldiers to many 
tests of equal severity. Umbopo, or Mopo, as he is named 
in this tale, actually lived. After he had stabbed Chaka, 
he rose to great eminence. Then he disappears from the 
scene, but it is not accurately known whether he also went 
“ the way of the assegai,” or perhaps, as is here suggested, 
came to live near Stanger under the name of Zweete. 
The fate of the two lovers at the mouth of the cave is a 


PREFACE. 


xt 


true Zulu tale, which has been considerably varied to suit 
the purposes of this romance. The late Mr. Leslie, who 
died in 1874, tells it in his posthumous and privately 
printed book Among the Zulus and Amatongas.’’ 
heard a story the other day,’’ he says, which, if the 
power of writing fiction were possessed by me, I might have 
! worked up into a first-class sensational novel.” It is the 
i story that has been woven into the plot of this book. To 
him also the writer is indebted for the artifice by which 
Umslopogaas obtained admission to the Swazi stronghold; 
it was told to Mr. Leslie by the Zulu who performed the 
feat and thereby won a wife. Also the writer’s thanks are 
; due to his friends Mr. F. B. Fynney,^ formerly Zulu border 
I agent, for much information given to him in bygone years 
; by word of mouth, and more recently through his pam- 
phlet Zululand and the Zulus,” and Mr. John Bird, lately 
treasurer to the Government of Natal, whose compilation, 

I ‘^The Annals of Natal,” is invaluable to all who would 
I study the early history of that colony and of Zululand. 

As for the wilder and more romantic incidents of this 
story, such as the hunting of Umslopogaas and Galazi with^ 
; the wolves, or rather with the hyaenas, — for there are no true 
I wolves in Zululand, — the author can only say that they seem 
} to him of a sort that might well have been mythically con- 
j nected with the names of those heroes. Similar beliefs and 
I traditions are common in the records of primitive peoples, as 
in the Volsunga Saga. The club ^AVatcher of the Fords,” 
or, to give its Zulu name, U-nothlola-mazibuko, is an histor- 
ical weapon, chronicled by Bishop Callaway. It was once 
i owned by a certain Undhlebekazizwa. He was an arbitrary 
person, for ‘^no matter what was discussed in our village, he 
would bring it to a conclusion with a stick.” But he made a 
good end ; for when the Zulu soldiers attacked him, he killed 
no less than twenty of them with the Watcher, and the spears 
stuck in him ^‘as thick as reeds in the morass.” This man’s 
strength was so great that he could kill a leopard ^Gike a 
; fly,” with his hands only, much as Umslopogaas slew the 
traitor in this story. 

1 1 grieve to state that I must now say “ the late Mr. F . B. Fynney.” 


Xll 


PREFACE. 


Perhaps it may be allowable to add a few words about the 
Zulu mysticism, magic, and superstition, to which there is 
some allusion in this romance. It has been little if at all 
exaggerated. Thus the writer well remembers hearing a 
legend that told how the Guardian Spirit of the Ama-Zulu 
was seen riding down the storm. This is what Mr. Fynney 
says of her in the pamphlet to which reference has been 
made : “ The natives have a spirit which they call Nomkuhul- 
luana^ or the Inkosazana-ye-Zulu (the Princess of Heaven) . 
She is said to be robed in white, and to take the form of a 
young maiden, in fact an angel. She is said to appear to 
some chosen person, to whom she imparts some revelation ; 
but, whatever that revelation may be, it is kept a profound 
secret from outsiders. I remember that, just before the 
Zulu war, Nomkuhulwana appeared, revealing something or 
other which had a great effect throughout the land, and 
I know that the Zulus were quite impressed that some 
calamity was about to befall them. One of the ominous 
signs was that fire is said to have descended from heaven, 
and ignited the grass over the graves of the former kings 
of Zululand. ... On another occasion Nomkubulwana 
appeared to some one in Zululand, the result of that visit 
being, that the native women buried their young children 
up to their heads in sand, deserting them for the time being, 
going away weeping, but returning at nightfall to unearth 
the little ones again.^’ 

For this divine personage, therefore, there is authority, 
and the same may be said of most of the supernatural mat- 
ters spoken of in these pages. The exact spiritual position 
held in the Zulu mind by the Umkulunkulu, — the Old — 
Old, — the Great — Great, — the Lord of Heaven, — is a 
more vexed question, and for its proper consideration the 
reader must be referred to Bishop Callaway’s work, “The 
Keligious System of the Amazulu.” Briefly, Umkulun- 
kulu’s character seems to vary from the idea of an ancestral 
soirit* or the spirit of an ancestor, to that of a god. In the 
case of an able and highly intelligent person like the Mopo 
of this story, the ideal probably would not be a low one ; 


PREFACE, 


xiii 


therefore he is made to speak of Umkulunkulu as the Great 
Spirit, or God. 

It only remains for the writer to express his regret that 
this tale is not more varied in its hue. It would have 
been desirable to introduce some gayer and more happy 
incidents. But this has not been possible. It is believed 
that the picture given of the times is a faithful one, though 
it may be open to correction in some of its details. At the 
least, the aged man who tells the story of his wrongs and 
vengeance could not be expected to treat his subject in an 
optimistic or even in a cheerful vein. 




nv 



CONTENTS 



Dedication 

. 

. 

# 

• 

PAGE 

V 


Preface 

• 

• 

• 

• 

ix 


Introduction .... 

• 

• 

• 

• 

1 

I. 

The Boy Chaka Prophesies 


• 

• 

• 

5 

n. 

Mopo IS IN Trouble . 

• 

• 

• 

• 

11 

III. 

MOPO VENTURES HOME . 

• 

• 

• 

• 

17 

IV. 

The Flight of Mopo and Baleka 

• 

• 

• 


22 

V. 

Mopo becomes the King’s Doctor 

• 

• 

• 


32 

VI. 

The Birth of Umslopogaas 

• 

• 

• 

• 

37 

VII. 

Umslopogaas answers the King 

• 

• 

• 

• 

46 

VIII. 

The Great Ingomboco 

• 

• 

• 

• 

63 

IX. 

The Loss of Umslopogaas . 

• 

• 

• 

• 

64 

X. 

The Trial of Mopo . 


• 

• 

• 

72 

XL 

The Counsel of Baleka . 


• 

• 

• 

83 

XII. 

The Tale of Galazi the Wolf 


• 

• 


91 

XIII. 

Galazi becomes King of the Wolves 

• 

• 


101 

XIV. 

The Wolf-Brethren . 


• 

• 


112 

XV. 

The Death of the King’s Slaters 


• 

• 


119 

XVI. 

Umslopogaas ventures out to win 

THE 

Axe 

• 


125 

XVII. 

Umslopogaas becomes Chief of the 

People of 

THE 



Axe ..... 




• 

132 

XVIII. 

The Curse of Baleka 

. 


• 

• 

140 

XIX. 

Masilo comes to the Kraal Duguza 


• 


152 

XX. 

Mopo bargains with the Princes 

. 


• 


160 

XXL 

The Death of Chaka 

. 


• 


168 

XXII. 

Mopo goes to seek the Slaughterer 


• 


177 

XXIII. 

Mopo reveals himself to the Slaughterer 

« 

• 

185 


XV 


XVI 


CONTENTS. 







PAGE 

XXIV. 

The Slaying of the Boers . 

. 

• 


196 

XXV. 

The War with the Halakazi People . 

• 

. 

205 

. XXVI. 

The Finding of Nada 

. 

« 

. 

215 

XXVII. 

The Stamping of the Fire 


• 

. 

223 

XXVIII. 

The Lily is brought to Dingaan . 

. 

• 

. 

231 

XXlX. 

Mopo tells his Tale 

. 

• 

. 

238 

XXX. 

The Coming of Nada 

. 

• 

. 

246 

XXXI. 

The War of the Women 

. 

• 

. 

253 

XXXII. 

ZiNITA comes to the KiNG 

. 

• 

. 

263 

XXXIII. 

The End of the People, Black and Grey 


. 

270 

XXXIV. 

The Lily’s Farewell 

. 


. 

282 

XXXV. 

The Vengeance of Mopo and his Fosterling 

. 

287 

XXXVI. 

Mopo ends his Tale 



, 

292 


LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

*Then the old man told him the tale that is set out 

HERE ’ 4 

* Wife op a dog of a Zulu . . begone ! ’ . . . 8 

‘ Baleka looked up, and gave a cry op fear ’ . . 25 

‘I DID UP THE BUNDLE PAST — FAST’ 45 

‘ I SMELL OUT THE HeAVENS ABOVE ME ’ . . . .62 

‘ And so farewell ’ . . . . . . 72 

‘I SWEAR IT O king! I SWEAR IT BY THY HEAD’ . . 82 
‘ He ran in upon her and smote her on the head ’ . 91 

‘ Now I KNEW THAT I HAD NO MORE TO FEAR, FOR I WAS 

KING OP THE GHOST-WOLVES ’ Ill 

‘ He LIFTED THE SPEAR . . AND DROVE IT DOWN BE- 
TWEEN THE shoulders’ 117 

‘ The ghost- wolves are at hand, damsel ’ . . . 126 

‘A RUSH. A LIGHT OF DOWNWARD FALLING STEEL’ . . 135 

‘ O PEOPLE OF THE LaNGENI TRIBE . . I AM AVENGED ' 

UPON YOU ’ 153 

‘I GAVE IT TO BOTH OF YOU O TWIN STARS OF THE MORN- 
ING . . IN THE DREAM OP CHAKA I GAVE IT TO BOTH 

OF YOU ’ 166 

‘I SHOOK MY WITHERED HAND BEFORE HIM’ . . . 172 

‘ O, MY FATHER, I THOUGHT YOU DEAD ’ . . . . 192 

* They smite upwards . . but he has swept over 

THEM LIKE A SWOOPING BIRD ’ 210 


xviii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

♦How ARE YOU NAMED AVHO ARE SO PAIR?* . . .217 

■ I 

‘ Take thy servant, king ; surely “ he sleeps in thy " 
SHADOW ” ’ 234 

‘Galazi sat on the lap op the Stone Witch . . Grey- 

snout WHINED AT HIS SIDE ’ 267 

‘ I HAVE MADE ME A MAT OP MEN TO SLEEP ON . . >%- 

tory! Yictoi'yP .281 

‘Then it quivered and was still por ever* . . . 287 
‘That was the end op Dinqaan, my pather* . . . 293 




NADA THE LILY, 


INTHODTJCTIOK 

Some years since — it was during the winter before the 
Zulu War — a White Man was travelling through Natal. 
His name does not matter, for he plays no part in this 
story. With him were two wagons laden with goods, which 
he was transporting to Pretoria. The weather was cold and 
there was little or no grass for the oxen, which made the 
journey difficult ; but he had been tempted to it by the high 
rates of transport that prevailed at this season of the year, 
which would remunerate him for any probable loss he might 
suffer in cattle. So he pushed along on his journey, and all 
went well until he had passed the little town of Stanger, 
once the site of Duguza, the kyaal of Chaka, the first Zulu 
king and the uncle of Cetywayo. The night after he left 
Stanger the air turned bitterly cold, heavy grey clouds filled 
the sky, and hid the light of the stars. 

“Now if I were not in Natal, I should say that there 
was a heavy fall of snow coming,^’ said the White Man 
to himself. “ I have often seen the sky look like that in 
Scotland before snow.^’ Then he reflected that there had 
been no deep snow in Natal for years, and, having drunk a 
“tot” of squareface and smoked his pipe, he went to bed 
beneath the after-tent of his larger wagon. 

During the night he was awakened by a sense of bitter 
cold and the low moaning of the oxen that were tied to the 
trek-tow, every ox in its place. He thrust his head through 
the curtain of the tent and looked out. The earth was 
white with snow, and the air was full of it, swept along by 
a cutting wind. 

B 


2 


JVADA THE LILY 


Now he sprang up, huddling on his clothes and as he 
did so calling to the Kaffirs who slept beneath the wagons. 
Presently they awoke from the stupor which already was * 
beginning to overcome them, and crept out, shivering with i 
cold and wrapped from head to foot in blankets. 

Quick! you boys,’^ he said to them in Zulu; quick! 
Would you see the cattle die of the snow and wind ? • Loose 
the oxen from the trek-tows and drive them in between the 
wagons ; they will give them some shelter.’’ And lighting 
a lantern he sprang out into the snow. 

At last it was done — no easy task, for the numbed hands 
of the Kaffirs could scarcely loosen the frozen reims. The 
wagons were outspanned side by side with a space between 
them, and into this space the mob of thirty-six oxen was j 
driven and there secured by reims tied crosswise from the " 
front and hind wheels of the wagons. Then the White - 
Man crept back to his bed, and the shivering natives, forth j 
fied with gin, or squareface, as it is called locally, took ’ 
refuge on the second wagon, drawing a tent-sail over j 
them. • 

For awhile there was silence, save for the meanings of 
the huddled and restless cattle. ’ 

If the snow goes on I shall lose my oxen,” he said to 
himself ; they can never bear this cold.” 

Hardly had the words passed his lips when the wagon 
shook ; there was a sound of breaking reims and tram- 
pling hoofs. Once more he looked out. The oxen had 
^^skrecked” in a mob. There they were, running away 
into the night and the snow, seeking to find shelter from | 
the cold. In a minute they had vanished utterly. There ; 
was nothing to be done, except wait for the morning. 

At last it came, revealing a landscape blind with snow. ' 
Such search as could be made told them nothing. The oxen I 
had gone, and their spoor was obliterated by the fresh-fallen 
flakes. The White Man called a council of his Kaffir ser- ' 
vants. What was to be done ? ” he asked. j 

One said this thing, one that, but all agreed that they 
must wait to act until the snow melted. 

Or till we freeze, you whose mothers were fools ! ” said 


INTRODUCTION 


3 


the White, Man, who was in the worst of tempers, for had he 
not lost four hundred pounds’ worth of oxen ? 

Then a Zulu spoke, who hitherto had remained silent. 
He was the driver of the first wagon. 

“ My father,” he said to the White Man, this is my word. 
The oxen are lost in the snow. Ho man knows whither they 
have gone, or whether they live or are now but hides and 
bones. Yet at the kraal yonder,” and he pointed to some 
, huts about two miles away on the hillside, lives a witch 
[doctor named Zweete. He is old — very old — ^but he has 
f wisdom, and he can tell you where the oxen are if any man 
i:may, my father.” 

Stuff ! ” answered the White Man. Still, as the kraal 
cannot be colder than this wagon, we will go and ask 
Zweete. Bring a bottle of squareface and some snuff with 
you for presents.” 

An hour later he stood in the hut of Zweete. Before him 
was a very ancient man, a mere bag of bones, with sightless 
eyes, and one hand — his left — white and shrivelled, 
i What do you seek of Zweete, my white father ? ” asked 
I the old man in a thin voice. “You do not believe in me and 
I my wisdom ; why should I help you ? Yet I will do it, 
[ though it is against your law, and you do wrong to ask me, 
— yes, to show you that there is truth in us Zulu doctors, I 
, will help you. My father, I know what you seek. You 
i seek to know where your oxen have run for shelter from 
; the cold ! Is it not so ? ” 

“It is so. Doctor,” answered the White Man. “You 
, have long ears.” 

' “ Yes, my white father, I have long ears, though they say 
j that I grow deaf. I have keen eyes also, and yet I cannot 
[ see your face. Let me hearken ! Let me look ! ” 

For awhile he sat silent, rocking himself to and fro, then 
he spoke : “ You have a farm. White Man, down near Pine 
Town, is it not ? Ah ! I thought so — and an hour’s ride 
from your farm lives a Boer with four fingers only on his 
right hand. There is a kloof on the Boer’s farm where 
mimosa-trees grow. There, in the kloof, you shall find your 

B 2 


4 


NAD A THE LILY 


oxen — yes, five days’ journey from here you shall find them 
all. I say all, my father, except three only — the big black 
Africander ox, the little red Zulu ox with one horn, and the 
speckled ox. You shall not find these, for they have died 
in the snow. Send, and you Avill find the others. No, no ! 
I ask no fee ! I do not work wonders for reward. Why 
should I ? lam rich.” 

Now the White Man scoffed. But in the end, so great is 
the power of superstition, he sent. And here it may be 
stated that on the eleventh day of his sojourn at the kraal 
of Zweete, those whom he sent returned with the oxen, 
except the three only. After that he scoffed no more. 
Those eleven days he spent in a hut of the old man’s kraal, 
and every afternoon he came and talked with him, sitting 
far into the night. 

On the third day he asked Zweete how it was that his 
left hand was white and shrivelled, and who were Umslo- 
pogaas and Nada, of whom he had let fall some words. 
Then the old man told him the tale that is set out here. 
Day by day he told some of it till it was finished. It is 
not all written in these pages, for portions may have been 
forgotten, or put aside -as irrelevant. Neither has it been 
possible for the writer of it to render the full force of the 
Zulu idiom nor to convey a picture of the teller. For, in 
truth, he acted rather than told his story. Was the death of 
a warrior in question, he stabbed with his stick, showing how 
the blow fell and where ; did the story grow sorrowful, he 
groaned, or even wept. Moreover, he had many voices, one 
for each of the actors in his tale. This man, ancient and 
withered, seemed to live again in the far past. It was the 
past that spoke to his listener, telling of deeds long forgot- 
ten, of deeds that are no more known. 

Yet as he best may, the White Man has set down the 
substance of the story of Zweete in the spirit in which 
Zweete told it. And because the history of Nada the Lily 
and of those with whom her life was intertwined moved 
him strangely, and in many ways, he has done more, he 
has printed it that others may judge of it. 

And now his part is played. Let him who was named 
Zweete, but who had another name, take up the story. 



* Then the old man told him the tale that is set out here. 


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THE BOY CHAKA PROPHESIES 


CHAPTEE 1. 

THE BOY CHAKA PROPHESIES. 

You ask me, my father, to tell you the, tale of the youth 
of Umslopogaas, holder of the iron Chief tainess, the axe 
Groanmaker, who was named Bulalio the Slaughterer, and 
of his love for Nada, the most beautiful of Zulu women. 
It is long ; but you are here for many nights, and, if I live 
to tell it, it shall be told. Strengthen your heart, my 
father, for I have much to say that is sorrowful, and even 
now, when I think of Nada the tears creep through the horn 
that shuts out my old eyes from light. 

Do you know who I am, my father ? You do not know. 
You think that I am an old, old witch-doctor named Zweete. 
So men have thought for many years, but that is not my 
name. Few have known it, for I have kept it locked in 
my breast, lest, though I live now under the law of the 
White Man, and the Great Queen is my chieftainess, an 
assegai still might find this heart did any know my name. 

Look at this hand, my father — no, not that which is 
withered with fire ; look on this right hand of mine. You 
gee it, though I who am blind cannot. But still, within me 
I see it as it was once, Ay ! I see it red and strong — red 
with the blood of two kings. Listen, my father; bend 
your ear to me and listen. I am Mopo — ah ! I felt you 
start ; you start as the regiment of the Bees started when 
Mopo walked before their ranks, and from the assegai in 
his hand the blood of Chaka ^ dropped slowly to the earth. 
I am Mopo who slew Chaka the king. I killed. him with 
Dingaan and Umhlangana the princes ; but the wound was 
mine that his life crept out of, and but for me he would 
never have been slain. I killed him with the princes, but 
Dingaan, I and one other slew alone. 

1 The Zulu Napoleon, one of the greatest geniuses and most wicked men 
who ever lived. He was killed in the year 1828, having slaughtered more 
than a million human beings. — E d. 


6 


JVABA THE LILY 


What do you say ? Dingaan died by the Tongola.’’ 

Yes, yes, he died, but not there ; he died on the Ghost 
Mountain ; he lies in the breast of the old Stone Witch who 
sits aloft forever waiting for the world to perish.^ But 
I also was on the Ghost Mountain. In those days my feet 
still could travel fast, and vengeance would not let me sleep. 
I travelled by day, and by night I found him. I and an- 
other, we killed him — ah ! ah ! 

Why do I tell you this ? What has it to do with the 
loves of Umslopogaas and Nada the Lily? I will tell you. 
I stabbed Chaka for the sake of my sister, Baleka, the mother 
of Umslopogaas, and because he had murdered my wives and 
children. I and Umslopogaas slew Dingaan for the sake of 
Nada, who was my daughter. 

There are great names in the story, my father. Yes, 
many have heard the names : when the Impis roared them 
out as they charged in battle, I have felt the mountains 
shake and seen the waters quiver in their sound. But 
where are they now ? Silence has them, and the white 
men write them down in books. I opened the gates of dis- 
tance for the holders of the names. They passed through 
and they are gone beyond. I cut the strings that tied them 
to the world. They fell off. Ha ! ha ! They fell off ! 
Perhaps they are falling still, perhaps they creep about their 
desolate kraals in the skins of snakes. I wish I knew the 
snakes that I might crush them with my heel. Yonder, 
beneath us, at the burying-place of kings, there is a hole. 
In that hole lie the bones of Chaka, the king who died 
for Baleka. Far away in Zululand there is a -deft upon 
the Ghost Mountain. At the foot^f that cleft lie the 
bones of Dingaan, the king who died for Nada. It was far 
to fall and he was heavy; those bones of his are broken 
into little pieces. I went to see them when the vultures 
and the jackals had done their work. And then I laughed 
three times and came here to die. 

All this is long ago, and I have not died; though I 
wish to die and follow the road that Nada trod. Perhaps 
I have lived to tell you this tale, my father, that you may 
repeat it to the white men if you will. How old am I? Nay, 


THE BOY CHAKA PROPHESIES 


7 


I do not know. Very, very old. Had Ckaka lived he would 
have been as old as I.^ Hone are living whom I knew when 
I was a boy. I am so old that I must hasten. The grass 
withers and the winter comes. Yes, while I speak the 
winter hips my heart. Well, I am ready to sleep in the 
cold, and perhaps I shall wake again in the spring. 

Before the Zulus were a people~for I will begin at the 
beginning — I was born of the Langeni tribe. We were 
not a large tribe ; afterwards, all our able-bodied men num- 
bered one full regiment in Chaka’s army, perhaps there were 
between two and three thousand of them, but they were 
brave. How they are all dead, and their women and chil- 
dren with them, — that people is no more. It is gone like 
last month’s moon ; how it went I will tell you by-and-bye. 

Our tribe lived in a beautiful open country ; the Boers, 
whom we called the Amaboona, are there now, they tell me. 
My father, Makedama, was chief of the tribe, and his kraal 
was built on the crest of a hill, but I was not the son of his 
head wife. One evening, when I was still little, standing 
as high as a man’s elbow only, I went out with my mother 
below the cattle kraal to see the cows driven in. My mother 
was very fond of these cows, and there was one with a 
white face that would follow her about. She carried my 
little sister Baleka riding on her hip ; Baleka was a baby 
then. We walked till we met the lads driving in the cows. 
My mother called the white-faced cow and gave it mealie 
leaves which she had brought with her. Then the boys 
went on with the cattle, but the white-faced cow stopped 
by my mother. She said that she would bring it to the 
kraal when she came home. My mother sat down on the 
grass and nursed her baby, while I played round her, and 
the cow grazed. Presently we saw a woman walking towards 
us across the plain. She walked like one who is tired. On 
her back was a bundle of mats, and she led by the hand a boy 
of about my own age, but bigger and stronger than I was. 

1 This would have made him nearly a hundred years old, an age rarely 
attained by a native. The writer remembers talking to an aged Zulu 
woman, however, who told him that she was married when Chaka was 
king. — E d. 


8 


ATADA THE LILY 


We waited a long while, till at last the woman came up to 
us and sank down on the veldt, for she was very weary. 
We saw by the way her hair was dressed that she was not 
of our tribe. 

Greeting to you ! ’’ said the woman. 

“ Good-morrow ! answered my mother. What do you 
seek ? ” 

“ Food, and a hut to sleep in,” said the woman. I have 
travelled far.” 

How are you named ? — and what is your people ? ” asked 
my mother. 

^‘My name is Unandi : I am the wife of Senzangacona, 
of the Zulu tribe,” said the stranger. 

Now there had been war between our people and the 
Zulu people, and Senzangacona had killed some of our war- 
riors and taken many of our cattle. So, when my mother 
heard the speech of Unandi she sprang up in anger. 

You dare to come here and ask me for food and shelter, 
wife of a dog of a Zulu ! ” she cried ; “ begone, or I will 
call the girls to whip you out of our country.” 

The woman, who was very handsome, waited till my mother 
had finished her angry words ; then she looked up and spoke 
slowly, There is a cow by you with milk dropping from 
its udder ; will you not even give me and my boy a gourd 
of milk ? ” And she took a gourd from her bundle and held 
it towards us. 

I will not,” said my mother. 

^‘We are thirsty with long travel; will you not, then, 
give us a cup of water ? We have found none for many 
hours.” 

will not, wife of a dog ; go and seek water for yourself.” 

The woman’s eyes filled with tears, but the boy folded 
his arms on his breast and scowled. He was a very hand- 
some boy, with bright black eyes, but when he scowled his 
eyes were like the sky before a thunderstorm. 

“Mother,” he said, “we are not wanted here any more 
than we were wanted yonder,” and he nodded towards the 
country where the Zulu people lived. “ Let us be going to 
Dingiswayo ; the Umtetwa people will protect us.” 


r 







Wife of a dog of a Zulu 


begone ! 



THE BOY CHAKA PROPHESIES 


9 


^^Yes, let us be going, my son/^ answered Uiiandi ; ‘‘but 
the path is long, we are weary and shall fall by the way.’’ 

I heard, and something pulled at my heart ; I was sorry 
for the woman and the boy, they looked so tired. Then, 
without saying anything to my mother, I snatched the 
gourd and ran with it to a little donga that was hard by, 
for I knew that there was a spring. Presently I came back 
with the gourd full of water._ My mother wanted to catch 
me, for she was very angry, but I ran past her and gave the 
gourd to the boy. Then my mother ceased trying to inter- 
fere, only she beat the woman with her tongue all the while, 
saying that evil had come to our kraals from her husband, 
and she felt in her heart that more evil would come upon 
us from her son. Her Ehlos^^ told her so. Ah! my father, 
her Ehlose told her true. If the woman Unandi and her 
child had died that day on the veldt, the gardens of my 
people would not now be a wilderness, and their bones 
would not lie in the great gulley that is near U’Cetywayo’s 
kraal. 

While my mother talked I and the cow with the white 
face stood still and watched, and the baby Baleka cried 
aloud. The boy, Unaiidi’s son, having taken the gourd, 
did not offer the water to his mother. He drank two-thirds 
of it himself ; I think that he would have drunk it all had 
not his thirst been slaked ; but when he had done he gave 
what was left to his mother, and she finished it. Then he 
took the gourd again, and came forward, holding it in one 
hand ; in the other he carried a short stick. 

“What is your name, boy ? ” he said to me as a big rich 
man speaks to one who is little and poor. 

“ Mopo is my name,” I answered. 

“ And what is the name of your people ? ” 

I told him the name of my tribe, the Langeni tribe. 

“ Very well, Mopo ; now I will tell you my name. My 
name is Chaka, son of Senzangacona, and my people are 
called the Amazulu. And I will tell you something more. 
I am little to-day, and my people are a small people. 
But I shall grow big, so big that my head will be lost in 

1 Guardian spirit. — ^E d. 


lO 


JVADA THE LILY 


the clouds ; you will look up and you shall not see it. My 
face will blind you ; it will be bright like the sun ; and my 
people will grow great with me ; they shall eat up the whole 
world. And when I am big and my people are big, and we 
have stamped the earth flat as far as men can travel, then I 
will remember your tribe — the tribe of the Langeni, who 
would not give me and my mother a cup of milk when we 
were weary. You see this gourd; for every drop it can 
hold the blood of a man shall flow — the blood of one of 
your men. But because you gave me the water I will spare 
you, Mopo, and you only, and make you great under me. You 
shall grow fat in my shadow. You alone I will never harm, 
however you sin against me; this I swear. But for that 
woman,’^ and he pointed to my mother, let her make haste 
and die, so that I do not need to teach her what a long 
time death can take to come. I have spoken.’^ And he 
ground his teeth and shook his stick towards us. 

My mother stood silent awhile. Then she gasped out : 

The little liar ! He speaks like a man, does he ? The 
calf lows like a bull. I will teach him another note — the 
brat of an evil prophet ! ’’ And putting down Baleka, she 
ran at the boy. 

Chaka stood quite still till she was near ; then suddenly 
he lifted the stick in his hand, and hit her so hard on the 
head that she fell down. After that he laughed, turned, 
and went away with his mother Unandi. 

These, my father, were the first words that I heard Chaka 
speak, and they were words of prophecy, and they came 
true. The last words I heard him speak were words of 
prophecy also, and I think that they will come true. Even 
now they are coming true. In the one he told how the 
Zulu people should rise. And say, have they not risen ? 
In the other he told how they should fall ; and they will 
fall. Do not the white men gather themselves together 
even now against U’Cetywayo, as vultures gather round a 
dying ox? The Zulus are not what they were to stand 
against them. Yes, yes, they will come true, and mine is 
the song of a people that is doomed. 

But of these other words I will speak in their place. 


MOPO IS IN TROUBLE 


II 


I went to my mother. Presently she raised herself from 
the ground and sat up with her hands over her face. The 
blood from the wound the stick had made ran down her 
hands on to her breast, and I wiped it away with grass. 
She sat for a long while thus, while the child cried, the cow 
lowed to be milked, and I wiped up the blood with the 
grass. At last she took her hands away and spoke to me. 

Mopo, my son,’^ she said, “ I have dreamed a dream. 
I dreamed that I saw the boy Chaka who struck me : he 
was grown like a giant. He stalked across the mountains 
and the veldt, his eyes blazed like the lightning, and in his 
hand he shook a little assegai that was red with blood. 
He caught up people after people in his hands and tore 
them, he stamped their kraals flat with his feet. Before 
him was the green of summer, behind him the land was 
black as when the fires have eaten the grass. I saw our 
people, Mopo : they were many and fat, their hearts laughed, 
the men were brave, the girls were fair ; I counted their 
children by hundreds. I saw them again, Mopo. They 
were bones, white bones, thousands of bones tumbled to- 
gether in a rocky place, and he, Chaka, stood over the bones 
and laughed till the earth shook. Then, Mopo, in my dream, 
I saw you grown a man. You alone were left of our people. 
You crept up behind the giant Chaka, and with you came 
others, great men of a royal look. ‘ You stabbed him with 
a little spear, and he fell down and grew small again ; he 
fell down and cursed you. But you cried in his ear a name 
— the name of Baleka, your sister — and he died. Let us go 
home, Mopo, let us go home ; the darkness falls.’’ 

So we rose and went home. But I held my peace, for 
I was afraid, very much afraid. 


CHAPTEE II. 

MOPO IS IN TROUBLE. 

Now, I must tell how my mother did what the boy 
Chaka had told her, and died quickly. Por where his stick 
had struck her on the forehead there came a sore that would 


12 


JVADA THE LILY 


not be healed, and in the sore grew an abscess, and the 
abscess ate inwards till it came to the brain. Then my 
mother fell down and died, and I cried very much, for I 
loved her, and it was dreadful to see her cold and stiff, with 
not a word to say however loudly I called to her. Well, 
they buried my mother, and she was soon forgotten. I 
only remembered her, nobody else did — not even Baleka, 
for she was too little — and as for my father he took another 
young wife, and was content. After that I was unhappy, 
for my brothers did not love me, because I was much 
cleverer than they, and had greater skill with the assegai, 
and was swifter in running ; so they poisoned the mind 
of my father against me and he treated me badly. But 
Baleka and I loved each other, for we were both lonely, and 
she clung to me like a creeper to the only tree in a plain, 
and though I was young, I learned this : that to be wise is 
to be strong, for though he who holds the assegai kills, yet 
he whose mind directs the battle is greater than he who 
kills. Kow I saw that the witch-finders and the medicine- 
men were feared in the land, and that everybody looked up 
to them, so that, even when they had only a stick in their 
hands, ten men armed with spears would fly before them. 
Therefore I determined that I would be a witch-doctor, for 
they alone can kill those whom they hate with a word. So I 
learned the arts of the medicine-men. I made sacrifices, I 
fasted in the veldt alone, I did all those things of which 
you have heard, and I learned much ; for there is wisdom 
in our magic as well as lies — and you know it, my father, 
else you had not come here to ask me about your lost oxen. 

So things went on till I was twenty years of age — a man 
full grown. By now I had mastered all I could learn by 
myself, so I joined myself on to the chief medicine-man of 
our tribe, who was named Noma. He was old, had one eye 
only, and was very clever. Of him I learned some tricks and 
more wisdom, but at last he grew jealous of me and set a 
trap to catch me. As it chanced, a rich man of a neighbour- 
ing tribe had lost some cattle, and came with gifts to Noma 
praying him to smell them out. Noma tried and could not 
find themj his vision failed him. Then the headman grew 


MOPO IS IN TROUBLE 


13 


angry and demanded back his gifts ; but Noma would not 
give up that which he once had held, and hot words passed. 
The headman said that he would kill Nomaj Noma said 
that he would bewitch the headman. 

Peace,’’ I said, for I feared that blood would be shed. 

Peace, and let me see if my snake will tell me where the 
cattle are.” 

^‘You are nothing but a boy,” answered the headman. 

Can a boy have wisdom ? ” 

“ That shall soon be known,” I said, taking the bones in 
my hand.^ 

Leave the bones alone!” screamed Noma. “We will 
ask nothing more of our snakes for the good of this son of 
a dog.” 

“ He shall throw the bones,” answered the headman. “ If 
you try to stop him I will let sunshine through you with 
my assegai.” And he lifted his spear. 

Then I made haste to begin; I threw the bones. The 
headman sat on the ground before me and answered my 
questions. You know of these matters, my father — how 
sometimes the witch-doctor has knowledge of where the lost 
things are, for our ears are long, and sometimes his Elilose 
tells him, as but the other day it told me of your oxen. 
Well, in this case, my snake stood up. I knew nothing of 
the man’s cattle, but my Spirit was with me and soon I saw 
them all, and told them to him one by one, their colour, 
their age — everything. I told him, too, where they were, 
and how one of them had fallen into a stream and lay there 
on its back drowned, with its forefoot caught in a forked 
root. As my EJilos4 told me so I told the headman. 

Now, the man was pleased, and said that if my sight 
was good, and he found the cattle, the gifts should be taken 
from Noma and given to me; and he asked the people 
who were sitting round, and there were many, if this 
was not just. “ Yes, yes,” they said, it was just, and they 
would see that it was done. But Noma sat still and looked 
at me evilly. He knew thai; I had made a true divination, 

1 The Kafir witch-doctors use the knuckle bones of animals in their 
magic rites, throwing them something as we throw dice.— Ed. 


H 


NADA THE LILY 


and he was very angry. It was a big matter : the herd of 
cattle were many, and, if they were found where I had said, 
then all men would think me the greater wizard. Now it 
was late, and the moon had not yet risen, therefore the 
headman said that he would sleep that night in our kraal, 
and at the first light would go with me to the spot where 
I said the cattle were. After that he went away. 

I too went into my hut and lay down to sleep. Suddenly 
I awoke, feeling a weight upon my breast. I tried to start 
up, but something cold pricked my throat. I fell back 
again and looked. The door of the hut was open, the moon 
lay low on the sky like a ball of fire far away. I could see 
it through the door, and its light crept into the hut. It fell 
upon the face of Noma the witch-doctor. He was seated 
across me, glaring at me with his one eye, and in his hand 
was a knife. It was that which I had felt prick my throat. 

You whelp whom I have bred up to tear me ! he hissed 
into my ear, “ you dared to divine where I failed, did you ? 
Very well, now I will show you how I serve such puppies. 
First, I will pierce through the roots of your tongue, so 
that you cannot squeal, then I will cut you to pieces slowly, 
bit by bit, and in the morning I will tell the people that the 
spirits did it because you lied. Next, I will take off your 
arms and legs. Yes, yes, I will make you like a stick! 

Then I will’’ And he began driving in the knife 

under my chin. 

“ Mercy, my uncle,” I said, for I was frightened and the 
knife hurt. ‘^Have mercy, and I will do whatever you 
wish ! ” 

Will you do this ? ” he asked, still pricking me with the 
knife. ‘‘Will you get up, go to find the dog’s cattle and 
drive them to a certain place, and hide them there ? ” And 
he named a secret valley that was known to very few. “ If 
you do that, I will spare you and give you three of the cows. 
If you refuse or play me false, then, by my father’s spirit, 
I will find a way to kill you ! ” 

“Certainly I will do it, my uncle,” I answered. “Why 
did you not trust me before? Had I known that you 
wanted to keep the cattle, I would never have smelt them 


MOPO IS IN TROUBLE 


IS 

out. I only did so fearing lest you should lose the 
presents.’^ 

You are not so wicked as I thought/’ he growled. Get 
up, then, and do my bidding. You can be back here two 
hours after dawn.” 

So I got up, thinking all the while whether I should 
try to spring on him. But I was without arms, and he 
had the knife ; also if, by chance, I prevailed and killed 
him, it would have been thought that I had murdered him, 
and I should have tasted the assegai. So I made another 
plan. I would go and find the cattle in the valley where I 
had smelt them out, but I would not bring them to the 
secret hiding-place. No ; I would drive them straight to the 
kraal, and denounce Noma before the chief, my father, and 
all the people. But I was young in those days, and did 
not know the heart of Noma. He had not been a witch- 
doctor till he grew old for nothing. Oh ! he was evil ! — he 
was cunning as a jackal, and fierce like a lion. He had 
planted me by him like a tree, but he meant to keep me 
clipped like a bush. Now I had grown tall and over- 
shadowed him ; therefore he would root me up. 

I went to the corner of my hut. Noma watching me all 
the while, and took a kerrie and my small shield. Then I 
started through the moonlight. Till I was past the kraal I 
glided along quietly as a shadow. After that, I began to 
run, singing to myself as I went, to frighten away the 
ghosts, my father. 

For an hour I travelled swiftly over the plain, till I came 
to the hillside where the bush began. Here it was very 
dark under the shade of the trees, and I sang louder than 
ever. At last I found the little buffalo path I sought, and 
turned along it. Presently I came to an open place, where 
the moonlight crept in between the trees. I knelt down 
and looked. Yes ! my snake had not lied to me ; there 
was the spoor of the cattle. Then I went on gladly till I 
reached a dell through which the water ran softly, some- 
times whispering and sometimes talking out loud. Here 
the trail of the cattle was broad : they had broken down 
the ferns with their feet and trampled the grass. Pres- 


i6 


JVADA THE LILY 


ently I came to a pool. I knew it — it was the pool my 
snake had shown to me. And there at the edge of the pool 
floated the drowned ox, its foot caught in a forked root. 
All was just as I had seen it in my heart. 

I stepped forward and looked round. My eye caught 
something ; it was the faint grey light of the dawn glint- 
ing on the cattle’s horns. As I looked, one of them snorted, 
rose and shook the dew from his hide. He seemed big as 
an elephant in the mist and twilight. 

Then I collected them all — there were seventeen — and 
drove them before me down the narrow path back towards 
the kraal. Now the daylight came quickly, and the sun had 
been up an hour when I reached the spot where I must 
turn if I wished to hide the cattle in the secret place, as 
Noma had bid me. But I would not do this. No, I would 
go on to the kraal with them, and tell all men that Noma 
was a thief. Still, I sat down and rested awhile, for I was 
tired. As I sat, I heard a noise, and looked up. There, 
over the slope of the rise, came a crowd of men, and leading 
them was Noma, and by his side the headman who owned 
the cattle. I rose and stood still, wondering; but as I stood, 
they ran towards me shouting and waving sticks and spears. 

There he is ! ” screamed Noma. There he . is ! — the 
clever boy whom I have brought up to bring shame on me. 
What did I tell you ? Did I not tell you that he was a 
thief ? Yes — yes ! I know your tricks, Mopo, my child ! 
See ! he is stealing the cattle ! He knew where they were 
all the time, and now he is taking them away to hide them. 
They would be useful to buy a wife with, would they not, 
my clever boy ? ” And he made a rush at me, with his stick 
lifted, and after him came the headman, grunting with rage. 

I understood now, my father. My heart went mad in me, 
everything began to swim round, a red cloth seemed to lift 
itself up and down before my eyes. I have always seen it 
thus when I was forced to fight. I screamed out one word 
only, ^^Liar!” and ran to meet him. On came Noma. 
He struck at me with his stick, but I caught the blow upon 
my little shield, and hit back. Wow! I did hit! The 
skull of Noma met my kerrie, and down he fell dead at my 


MOPO VENTURES HOME 


17 


feet. I yelled again, and rushed on at the headman. He 
threw an assegai, but it missed me, and next second I hit 
him too. He got up his shield, but I knocked it down upon 
his head, and over he rolled senseless. Whether he lived 
or died I do not know, my father ; but his head being of the 
thickest, I think it likely that he lived. Then, while the 
people stood astonished, I turned and fled like the wind. 
They turned too, and ran after me, throwing spears at me 
and trying to cut me off. But none of them could catch 
me — no, not one. I went like the wind ; I went like a 
buck when the dogs wake it from sleep ; and presently the 
sound of their chase grew fainter and fainter, till at last I 
was out of sight and alone. 


CHAPTER III. 

MOPO VENTURES HOME. 

I THREW myself down on the grass and panted till my 
breath came back; then I went and hid in a patch of 
reeds down by a swamp. All day long I lay there think- 
ing. What was I to do ? Now I was a jackal without a 
hole. If I went back to my people, certainly they would 
kill me, whom they thought a thief. My blood would be 
given for Noma’s, and that I did not wish, though my heart 
was sad. Then there came into my mind the thought of 
Chaka, the boy to whom I had given the cup of water long 
ago. I had heard of him : his name was known in the land; 
already the air was big with it ; the very trees and grass 
spoke it. The words he had said and the vision that my 
mother had seen were beginning to come true. By the help 
of the Umtetwas he had taken the place of his father Sen- 
zangacona ; he had driven out the tribe of the Amaquabe ; 
now he made war on Zweete, chief of the Endwande, and 
he had sworn that he would stamp the Endwande flat, so 
that nobody could find them any more. Now I remembered 
how this Chaka promised that he would make me great, and 
that I should grow fat in his shadow; and I thought to 

c 


i8 


IVADA THE LILY 


myself that I would arise and go to him. Perhaps hs 
would kill me; well, what did it matter? Certainly I 
should be killed if I stayed here. Yes, I would go. But 
now my heart pulled another way. There was but one 
whom I loved in the world — it was my sister Baleka. My 
father had betrothed her to the chief of a neighbouring 
tribe, but I knew that this marriage was against her wish. 
Perhaps my sister would run away with me if I could get 
near her to tell her that I was going. I would try— yes, I 
would try. 

I waited till the darkness came down, then I rose from 
my bed of weeds and crept like a jackal towards the kraal. 
In the mealie gardens I stopped awhile, for I was very 
hungry, and filled myself with the half-ripe mealies. Then I 
went on till I came to the kraal. Some of my people were 
seated outside of a hut, talking together over a fire. I crept 
near, silently as a snake, and hid behind a little bush. I 
knew that they could not see me outside the ring of the 
firelight, and I wanted to hear what they said. As I 
guessed, they were talking of me and called me many 
names. They said that I should bring ill-luck on the tribe 
by having killed so great a witch-doctor as Noma; also 
that the people of the headman would demand payment for 
the assault on him. I learned, moreover, that my father 
had ordered out all the men of the tribe to hunt for me 
on the morrow and to kill me wherever they found me. 

Ah ! I thought, you may hunt, but you will bring 
nothing home to the pot.’’ Just then a dog that was lying 
by the fire got up and began to sniff the air. I could not 
see what dog it was — indeed, I had forgotten all about the i 
dogs when I drew near the kraal ; that is what comes of 
want of experience, my father. The dog sniffed and sniffed, i 
then he began to growl, looking always my way, and I grew ^ 
afraid. 

What is the dog growling at ? ” said one man to another. , 
^^Go and see.” But the other man was taking snuff and : 
did not like to move. Let the dog go and see for himself,” 
he answered, sneezing, what is the good of keeping a dog 
if you have to catch the thief ? ” 


MOPO VENTURES HOME 


*9 


Go on, then,’’ said the first man to the dog. And he 
ran forward, barking. Then I saw him ; it was my own dog, 
Koos, a very good dog. Presently, as I lay not knowing 
what to do, he smelt my smell, stopped barking, and run- 
ning round the bush he found me and began to lick my 
face. Be quiet, Koos ! ” I whispered to him. And he 
lay down by my side. 

“ Where has that dog gone now ? ” said the first man. 

Is he bewitched, that he stops barking suddenly and does 
not come back ? ” 

We will see,” said the other, rising, a spear in his hand. 

Kow once more I was terribly afraid, for I thought that 
they would catch me, or I must run for my life again. But 
as I sprang up to run, a big black snake glided between the 
men and went off towards the huts. They jumped aside in 
a great fright, then all of them turned to follow the snake, 
saying that this was what the dog was barking at. That 
was my good Ehlos^, my father, which without any doubt 
took the shape of a snake to save my life. 

When they had gone I crept off the other way, and Koos 
followed me. At first I thought that I would kill him, lest 
he should betray me ; but when I called him to me to knock 
him on the head with my kerrie, he sat down upon the ground 
wagging his tail, and seemed to smile in my face, and I 
could not do it. So I thought that I would take my chance, 
and we went on together. This was my purpose : first to 
creep into my own hut and get my assegais and a skin 
blanket, then to gain speech with Baleka. My hut, I 
thought, would be empty, for nobody slept there except 
myself, and the huts of Koma were some paces away to the 
right. I came to the reed fence that Surrounded the huts. 
Nobody was to be seen at the gate, which was not shut with 
thorns as usual. It was my duty to close it, and I had not 
been there to do so. Then, bidding the dog lie down outside, 
I stepped through boldly, reached the door of my hut, and 
listened. It was empty ; there was not even a breath to be 
heard. So I crept in and began to search for my assegais, 
my water-gourd, and my wood pillow, which was so nicely 
carved that I did not like to leave it. Soon I found them. 

c 2 


20 


JVADA THE LILY 


Then I felt about for my skin rug, and as I did so my hand 
touched something cold. I started, and felt again. It was 
a man’s face— the face of a dead man, of Noma, whom I 
had killed and who had been laid in my hut to await burial. 
Oh ! then I was frightened, for Noma dead and in the dark 
was worse than Noma alive. I made ready to fly, when 
suddenly I heard the voices of women talking outside the 
door of the hut. I knew the voices ; they were those of 
Noma’s two wives, and one of them said that she was com- 
ing in to watch by her husband’s body. Now I was in a 
trap indeed, for before I could do anything I saw the light 
go out of the hole in the hut, and knew by the sound of a 
fat woman puffing as she bent herself up that Noma’s first 
wife was coming through it. Presently she was in, and, 
squatting herself by the side of the corpse in such a fashion 
that I could not get to the door, she began to make lamenta- 
tions and to call down curses on me. Ah! she did not 
know that I was listening. I too squatted by Noma’s head, 
and grew quick-witted in my fear. Now that the woman 
was there I was not so much afraid of the dead man, and I 
remembered, too, that he had been a great cheat ; so I 
thought I would make him cheat for the last time. I placed 
my hands beneath his shoulders and pushed him up so that 
he sat upon the ground. The woman heard the noise, and 
made a sound in her throat. 

‘‘Will you not be quiet, you old hag ? ” I said in Noma’s 
voice. “ Can you not let me be at peace, even now when I 
am dead ? ” 

She heard, and, falling backwards in fear, drew in her 
breath to shriek aloud. 

“ What ! will you also dare to shriek ? ” I said again in 
Noma’s voice; “then I must teach you silence.” And I 
tumbled him over on to the top of her. 

Then her senses left her, and whether she ever found 
them again I do not know. At least she grew quiet for 
that time. Por me, 1 snatched up the rug — afterwards I 
found it was Noma’s best kaross, made by Basutos of chosen 
cat-skins, and worth three oxen — and I fled, followed by Koos. 

Now the kraal of the chief, my father, Makedama, was 


MOPO VENTURES HOME 


21 


two hundred paces away, and I must go thither, for there 
Baleka slept. Also I dared not enter by the gate, because 
a man was always on guard there. So I cut my way 
through the reed fence with my assegai and crept to the 
hut where Baleka was with some of her half-sisters. 1 
knew on which side of the hut it was her custom to lie, and 
where her head would be. So I lay down on my side and 
gently, very gently, began to bore a hole in the grass cover- 
ing of the hut. It took a long while, for the thatch was 
thick, but at last I was nearly through it. Then I stopped, 
for it came into my mind that Baleka might have changed 
her place and that I might wake the wrong girl. I almost 
gave it over, thinking that I would fly alone, when sud- 
denly I heard a girl wake and begin to cry on the other 
side of the thatch. Ah,’^ I thought, “that is Baleka, who 
weeps for her brother ! So I put my lips where the 
thatch was thinnest and whispered: — 

“ Baleka, my sister ! Baleka, do not weep ! I, Mopo, am 
here. Say not a word, but rise. Come out of the hut, 
bringing your skin blanket.’^ 

ISTow Baleka was very clever : she did not shriek, as 
most girls would have done. No; she understood, and, 
after waiting awhile, she rose and crept from the hut, her 
blanket in her hand. 

“Why are you here, Mopo?’^ she whispered, as we met. 
“ Surely you will be killed ! 

“ Hush ! ’’ I said. And then I told her of the plan which I 
had made. “ Will you come with me ? I said, when I had 
done, “ or will you creep back into the hut and bid me fare- 
well 

She thought awhile, then she said, “ No, my brother, I 
will come, for I love you alone among our people, though I 
believe that this will be the end of it — that you will lead 
me to my death.” 

I did not think much of her words at the time, but after- 
wards they came back to me. So we slipped away together, 
followed by the dog Koos, and soon we were running over 
the veldt with our faces set towards the country of the Zulu 
tribe. 


22 


JVADA THE LILY 


CHAPTER IV. 

THE FLIGHT OF MOPO AND BALEKA. 

All the rest of that night we journeyed, till even the dog 
was tired. Then we hid in a niealie held for the day, as we 
were afraid of being seen. Towards the afternoon we heard 
voices, and, looking through the stems of the mealies, we 
saw a party of my father’s men pass searching for us. They 
went on to a neighbouring kraal to ask if we had been seen, 
and after that we saw them no more for awhile. At night 
we travelled again ; but, as fate would have it, we were met 
by an old woman, who looked oddly at us but said nothing. 
After that we pushed on day and night, for we knew that 
the old woman would tell the pursuers if she met them ; 
and so indeed it came about. On the third evening we 
reached some mealie gardens, and saw that they had been 
trampled down. Among the broken mealies we found the 
body of a very old man, as full of assegai wounds as a por- 
cupine with quills. We wondered at this, and went on a 
little way. Then we saw that the kraal to which the gar- 
dens belonged was burnt down. We crept up to it, and — 
ah ! it was a sad sight for us to see ! Afterwards we became 
used to such sights. All about lay the bodies of dead people, 
scores of them — old men, young men, women, children, 
little babies at the breast — there they lay among the burnt 
huts, pierced with assegai wounds. Red was the earth with 
their blood, and red they looked in the red light of the 
setting sun. It was as though all the land had been 
smeared with the bloody hand of the Great Spirit, of the 
Umkulunkulu. Baleka saw it and began to cry : she was 
weary, poor girl, and we had found little to eat, only grass 
and green corn. 

'' An enemy has been here,” I said, and as I spoke I 
thought that I heard a groan from the other side of a 
broken reed hedge. I went and looked. There lay a 
young woman : she was badly wounded, but still alive, my 


THE FLIGHT OF MOPO AND B ALENA 


23 


father. A little way from her lay a man dead, and before 
him several other men of another tribe : he had died fight- 
ing. In front of the woman were the bodies of three chil- 
dren ; another, a little one, lay on her body. I looked at 
the woman, and, as I looked, she groaned again, opened her 
eyes and saw me, and that I had a spear in my hand. 

Kill me quickly ! she said. Have you not tortured 
me enough ? ’’ 

I said that I was a stranger and did not want to kill her. 

‘‘Then bring me water;’’ she said; “there is a spring 
there behind the kraal.” 

I called to Baleka to come to the woman, and went with 
my gourd to the spring. There were bodies in it, but I 
dragged them out, and when the water had cleared a little 
I filled the gourd and brought it to the woman. She drank 
deep, and her strength came back a little — the water gave 
her life. 

“ How did you come to this ? ” I asked. 

“ It was an impi of Chaka, Chief of the Zulus, that ate 
us up,” she answered. “ They burst upon us at dawn this 
morning while we were asleep in our huts. Yes, I woke 
up to hear the sound of killing. I was sleeping by my hus- 
band, with him who lies there, and the children. We all ran 
out. My husband had a spear and shield. He was a brave 
man. See ! he died bravely : he killed three of the Zulu 
devils before he himself was dead. Then they caught me, 
and killed my children, and stabbed me till they thought 
that I was dead. Afterwards, they went away. I don’t 
know why they came, but I think it was because our chief 
would not send men to help Chaka against Zweete.” 

She stopped, gave a great cry, and died. 

My sister wept at the sight, and I too was stirred by 
it. “ Ah ! ” I thought to myself, “ the Great Spirit 
must be evil. If he is not evil such things would not 
happen.” That is how I thought theu, my father; now I 
think differently. I know that we had not found out the 
path of the Great Spirit, that is all. I was a chicken in 
those days, my father; afterwards I got used to such 
sights. They did not stir me any more, not one whit. But 


24 


JVADA THE LILY 


then in the days of Chaka the rivers ran blood — ^yes, we 
had to look at the water to see if it was clean before we 
drank. People learned how to die then and not make a 
noise about it. What does it matter ? They would have 
been dead now anyway. It does not matter; nothing 
matters, except being born. That is a mistake, my father. 

We stopped at the kraal that night, but we could not 
sleep, for we heard the Itongo^ the ghosts of the dead 
people, moving about and calling to each other. It was 
natural that they should do so ; men were looking for their 
wives, and mothers for their children. But we were afraid 
that they might be angry with us for being there, so we 
clung together and trembled in each other’s arms. Koos 
also trembled, and from time to time he howled loudly. 
But they did not seem to see us, and towards morning their 
cries grew fainter. 

When the first light came we rose and picked our way 
through the dead down to the plain. Now we had an easy 
road to follow to Chaka’s kraal, for there was the spoor of 
the impi and of the cattle which they had stolen, and some- 
times we came to the body of a warrior who had been killed 
because his wounds prevented him from marching farther. 
But now I was doubtful whether it was wise for us to go to 
Chaka, for after what we had seen I grew afraid lest he 
should, kill us. Still, we had nowhere to turn, so I said 
that we would walk along till something happened. Now we 
grew faint with hunger and weariness, and Baleka said that 
we had better sit down and die, for then there would be no 
more trouble. So we sat down by a spring. But I did not 
wish to die yet, though Baleka was right, and it would have 
been well to do so. As we sat, the dog Koos went to a bush 
that was near, and presently I heard him spring at some- 
thing and the sound of struggling. I ran to the bush — he 
had caught hold of a duiker buck, as big as himself, that 
was asleep in it. Then I drove my spear into the buck and 
shouted for joy, for here was food. When the buck was 
dead I skinned him, and we took bits of the flesh, washed 
them in the water, and ate them, for we had no fire to cook 
them with. It is not nice to eat uncooked flesh, but we 







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THE FLIGHT OF MOPO AND BALEKA 


25 


were so hungry that we did not mind, and the food 
refreshed us. When we had eaten what we could, we 
rose and washed ourselves at the spring; but, as we 
washed, Baleka looked up and gave a cry of fear. For 
there, on the crest of the hill, abput ten spear-throws away, 
was a party of six armed men, people of my own tribe — 
children of my father Makedama — who still pursued us to 
take us or kill us. They saw us — they raised a shout, and 
began to run. We too sprang up and ran — ran like bucks, 
for fear had touched our feet. 

Now the land lay thus. Before us the ground was open 
and sloped down to the banks of the White Umfolozi, which 
twisted through the plain like a great and shining snake. 
On the other side the ground rose again, and we did not 
know what was beyond, but we thought that in this direc- 
tion lay the kraal of Chaka. We ran for the river — where 
else were we to run ? And after us came the warriors. 
They gained on us ; they were strong, and they were angry 
because they had come so far. Eun as we would, still they 
gained. Now we neared the banks of the river ; it was full 
and wide. Above us the waters ran angrily, breaking into 
swirls of white where they passed over sunken rocks ; below 
was a rapid, in which none might live ; between the two a 
deep pool, where the water was quiet but the stream strong. 

Ah ! my brother, what shall we do ? ’’ gasped Baleka. 

“There is this to choose,’’ I answered; “perish on the 
spears of our people or try the river.” 

“ Easier to die by water than on iron,” she answered. 

“ Good ! ” I said. “ Now may our snakes look towards us 
and the spirits of our fathers be with us ! At the least we 
can swim.” And I led her to the head of the pool. We 
threw away our blankets — everything except an assegai, 
which I held in my teeth — and we plunged in, wading as 
far as we could. Now we were up to our breasts ; now we 
had lost the earth and were swimming towards the middle 
of the river, the dog Koos leading the way. 

Then it was that the soldiers appeared upon the bank. 
“ Ah ! little people,” one cried, “ you swim, do you? Well, 
you will drown ; and if you do not drown we know a ford, 


26 


JVABA THE LILY 


and we will catcli you and kill you — yes ! if we must run 
over the edge of the world after you we will catch you.” 
And he hurled an assegai after us, which fell between us 
like a flash of light. 

While he spoke we swam hard, and now we were in the 
current. It swept us downwards, but still we made way, for 
we could swim well. It was just this : if we could reach 
the bank before we were swept into the rapids we were 
safe ; if not, then — good-night ! How we were near the 
other side, but, alas ! we were also near the lip of the foaming 
water. We strained, we struggled. Baleka was a brave girl, 
and she swam bravely ; but the water pushed her down be- 
low me, and I could do nothing to help her. I got my foot 
upon the rock and looked round. There she was, and eight 
paces from her the broken water boiled. I could not go 
back. I was too weak, and it seemed that she must perish. 
But the dog Koos saw. He swam to her, barking, then 
turned round, heading for the shore. She grasped him by the 
tail with her right hand. Then he put out his strength — 
he was very strong. She too struck out with her feet and 
left hand, and slowly — very slowly — drew near. Then I 
stretched out the handle of my assegai towards her. She 
caught it with her left hand. Already her feet were 
over the brink of the rapids, but I pulled and Koos pulled, 
and we brought her safe into the shallows, and from the 
shallows to the bank, and there she fell gasping. 

Now when the soldiers on the other bank saw that we 
had crossed, they shouted threats at us, then ran away 
down the bank. 

Arise, Baleka ! ” I said : they have gone to seek a 
ford.” 

Ah, let me die ! ” she answered. 

But I forced her to rise, and after awhile she got her 
breath again, and we walked on as fast as we could up the 
long rise. Bor two hours we walked, or more, till at last 
we came to the crest of the rise, and there, far away, we 
saw a large kraal. 

^‘Keep heart,” I said. ^^See, there is the kraal of 

Chaka,’^ ‘ 


THE FLIGHT OF MOPO AND BALFKA 


27 


Yes, brother,’’ she answered, but what waits us there ? 
Death is behind us and before us — we are in the middle of 
death.” 

Presently we came to a path that ran to the kraal from 
the ford of the Umfelozi. It was by it that the Impi had 
travelled. We followed the path till at last we were but 
half an hour’s journey from the kraal. Then we looked 
back, and lo ! there behind us were the pursuers — five of 
them — one had been drowned in crossing the river. 

Again we ran, but now we were weak, and they gained 
upon us. Then once more I thought of the dog. He was 
fierce and would tear any one on whom I set him. I called 
him and told him what to do, though I knew that it would 
be his death. He understood, and flew towards the sol- 
diers growling, his hair standing up on his spine. They 
tried to kill him with spears and kerries, but he jumped 
round them, biting at them, and kept them back. At last 
a man hit him, and he sprang up and seized the man by 
the throat. There he clung, man and dog rolling over and 
over together, till the end of it was that they both died. 
Ah ! he was a dog ! We do not see such dogs nowadays. 
His father was a Boer hound, the first that came into the 
country. That dog once killed a leopard all by himself. 
Well, this was the end of Koos ! 

Meanwhile, we had been running. Now we were but 
three hundred paces from the gate of the kraal, and there 
was something going on inside it ; that we could see from 
the noise and dust. The four soldiers, leaving the dead 
dog and the dying man, came after us swiftly. I saw that 
they must catch us before we reached the gate, for now 
Baleka could go but slowly. Then a thought came into my^ 
head. I had brought her here, I would save her life if I 
could. Should she reach the kraal without me, Chaka 
would not kill a girl who was so young and fair. 

^'Run on, Baleka! run on!” I said, dropping behind. 
Now she was almost blind with weariness and terror, and, 
not seeing my purpose, staggered towards the gate of the 
kraal. But I sat down on the veldt to get my breath again, 
for I was about to fight four nien till I was killed. My 


28 


JVADA THE LILY 


heart beat and the blood drummed in my ears, but when 
they drew near and I rose — the assegai in my hand — once 
more the red cloth seemed to ^o up and down before my 
eyes, and all fear left me. 

'The men were running, two and two, with the length of 
a spear-throw between them. But of the first pair one was 
five or six paces in front of the other. This man shouted 
out loud and charged me, shield and spear up. Now I had 
no shield — nothing but the assegai ; but I was crafty and 
he was overbold. On he came. I stood waiting for him 
till he drew' back the spear to stab me. Then suddenly I 
dropped to my knees and thrust upward with all my strength 
beneath the rim of his shield ; and he also thrust, but over 
me, his spear only cutting the fiesh of my shoulder — see ! 
here is its scar ; yes, to this day. And my assegai ? Ah ! 
it went home ; it ran through and through his middle. He 
rolled over and over on the plain. The dust hid him ; only 
I was now weaponless, for the haft of my spear — it was 
but a light throwing assegai — broke in two, leaving noth- 
ing but a little bit of stick in my hand. And the other one 
was on me ! He looked tall as a tree above me. I was 
already dead ; there was no hope ; darkness opened to 
swallow me^ Then in the darkness I saw a light. I fell 
on to my hands and knees and fiung myself over sideways. 
My body struck the legs of the man who was about to stab 
me, lifting his feet from beneath him. Down he caiiivj 
heavily. Before he had touched the ground I was off it. 
His spear had fallen from his hand. I stooped, seized it, 
and as he rose I stabbed him through the back. It was a'l 
done in the shake of a leaf, my father ; in the shake of a 
leaf he also was dead. Then I ran, for I had no stomach 
for the other two j my valour was gone. 

About a hundred paces from me Baleka was staggering 
along with her arms out like one who has drunk too much 
beer. By the time I caught her she was some forty paces 
from the gate of the kraal. But then her strength left her 
altogether. Yes ! there she fell senseless, and I stood by 
her. And there, too, I should have been killed had not 
this chanced, since the other two men, having stayed one 


THE FLIGHT OF MOPO AND BALEKA 


29 


instant by their dead fellows, came on against me mad with 
rage. For at that moment the gate of the kraal opened, 
and through it ran a party of soldiers dragging a prisoner 
by the arms. After them walked a great man, who wore a 
leopard skin on his shoulders, and was laughing, and with 
him were five or six ringed councillors, and after them again 
came a company of warriors. 

The soldiers saw that killing was going on, and ran up 
just as the slayers reached us. 

Who are you ? ’’ they cried, who dare to kill at the 
gate of the Elephants kraal? Here the Elephant kills 
alone.’’ 

“We are of the children of Makedama,” they answered, 
“ and we follow these evildoers who have done wickedness 
and murder in our kraal. See ! but now two of us are dead 
at their hands, and others lie dead along the road. Suffer 
that we slay them.” 

“ Ask that of the Elephant,” said the soldiers ; “ ask too 
that he suffer you should not be slain.” 

Just then the tall chief saw blood and heard words. He 
stalked up ; and he was a great man to look at, though still 
quite young in years. For he was taller by a head than any 
round him, and his chest was big as the chests of two ; his 
face was fierce and beautiful, and when he grew angry his 
eye flashed like a smitten brand. 

“ Who are these that dare to .stir up dust at the gates of 
my kraal ? ” he asked, frowning. 

“0 Chaka, O Elephant!” answered the captain of the 
soldiers, bending himself double before him, “ the men say 
that these are evildoers and that they pursue them to kill 
them.”* 

“Good!” he answered. “Let them slay the evildoers.” 

“0 great chief! thanks be to thee, great chief!” said 
those men of my people who sought to kill us. 

“ I hear you,” he answered, then spoke once more to the 
captain. “ And when they have slain the evildoers, let them- 
selves be blinded and turned loose to seek their way home, 
because they have dared to lift a spear within the Zulu 
gates. Now praise on, my children 1 ” And he laughed, while 


30 


NAD A THE LILY 


the soldiers murmured, On I he is wise, he is great, his 
justice is bright and terrible like the sun ! 

But the two men of my people cried out in fear, for they 
did not seek such justice as this. 

Cut out their tongues also,” said Chaka. What ? 
shall the land of the Zulus suffer such a noise? Never! 
lest the cattle miscarry. To it, ye black ones ! There lier 
the girl. She is asleep and helpless. Kill her ! What '' 
you hesitate ! Nay, then, if you will have time for thought, 
I give it. Take these men, smear them with honey, and 
pin them over ant-heaps ; by to-morrow’s sun they will 
know their own minds. But first kill these two hunted 
jackals,” and he pointed to Baleka and myself. ^‘They 
seem tired and doubtless they long for sleep.” 

Then for the first time I spoke, for the soldiers drew near 
to slay us. 

^^0 Chaka,” I cried, am Mopo, and this is my sister 
Baleka.” 

I stopped, and a great shout of laughter went up from all 
who stood round. 

‘Wery well, Mopo and thy sister Baleka,” said Chaka, 
grimly. ‘^Good-morning to you, Mopo and Baleka — also, 
good-night ! ” 

“ 0 Chaka,” I broke in, “ I am Mopo, son of Makedama 
of the Langeni tribe. It was I who gave thee a gourd of 
water many years ago, when we both were little. Then 
thou badest me come to thee when thou hadst grown great, 
vowing that thou wouldst protect me and never do me harm. 
So I have come, bringing my sister with me ; and now, I 
pray thee, do not eat up the words of long ago.” 

As I spoke, Chaka’s face changed, and he listened ear- 
nestly, as a man who holds his hand behind his ear. “ Those 
are no lies,” he said.. “Welcome, Mopo! Thou shalt be a 
dog in my hut, and feed from my hand. But of thy sister 
I said nothing. Why, then, should she not be slain when I 
swore vengeance against all thy tribe, save thee alone ? ” 

“ Because she is too fair to slay, 0 Chief ! ” I answered, 
boldly; “also because I love her^ and ask her life as a 
boon ! ” 


THE FLIGHT OF MOPO AND BALEKA 


31 


‘‘Turn the girl over,” said Chaka. And they did so, show- 
ing her face. 

“ Again thou speakest no lie, son of Makedama,” said the 
chief. “I grant thee the boon. She also shall lie in my 
hut, and be of the number of my ‘sisters.’ Now tell me 
thy tale, speaking only the truth.” 

So I sat down and told him all. Nor did he grow weary 
of listening. But, when I had done, he said but one thing 
— that he would that the dog Koos had not been killed; 
since, if he had still been alive, he would have set him on 
the hut of my father Makedama, and made him chief over 
the Langeni. 

Then he spoke to the captain of the soldiers. “I take 
back my words,” he said. “ Let not these men of the Lan- 
geni be mutilated. One shall die and the other shall go free. 
Here,” and he pointed to the man whom we had seen led 
out of the kraal-gate, “ here, Mopo, we have a man who has 
proved himself a coward. Yesterday a kraal of wizards yon- 
der was eaten up by my order — perhaps you two saw it as 
you travelled. This man and three others attacked a sol- 
dier of that kraal who defended his wife and children. The 
man fought well — he slew three of my people. Then this 
dog was afraid to meet him face to face. He killed him with 
a throwing assegai, and afterwards he stabbed the woman. 
That is nothing ; but he should have fought the husband 
hand to hand. Now I will do him honour. He shall fight 
to the death with one of these pigs from thy sty,” and he 
pointed with his spear to the men of my father’s kraal, 
“and the one who survives shall be run down as they tried 
to run you down. I will send back the other pig to the sty 
with a message. Choose, children of Makedama, which of 
you will live.” 

Now the two men of my tribe were brothers, and Ipved 
one another, and each of them was willing to die that the 
other might go free. Therefore, both of them stepped for- 
ward, saying that they would fight the Zulu. 

“ What, is there honour among pigs ? ” said Chaka. 
“ Then I will settle it. See this assegai ? I throw it into 
the air ; if the blade falls uppermost the tall man shall go 


32 


JVADA THE LILY 


free ; if the shaft falls uppermost, then life is to the short 
one, so ! ” And he sent the little spear whirling round and 
round in the air. Every eye watched it as it wheeled and 
fell. The haft struck the ground first. 

^^Come hither, thou,’’ said Chaka to the tall brother. 

Hasten back to the kraal of Makedama, and say to him. 
Thus says Chaka, the Lion of the Zulu-ka-Malandela ^ Years 
ago thy tribe refused me milk. To-day the dog of thy son 
Mopo howls upon the roof of thy hut.’ Begone ! ” ^ 

The man turned, shook his brother by the hand, and 
went, bearing the words of evil omen. 

Then Chaka called to the Zulu and the last of those who 
had followed us to kill us, bidding them fight. So, when 
they had praised the prince they fought fiercely, and the 
end of it was that the man of my people conquered the Zulu. 
But as soon as he had found his breath again he was set to 
run for his life, and after him ran five chosen men. 

Still, it came about that he outran them, doubling like a 
hare, and got away safely. Nor was Chaka angry at this ; 
for I think that he bade the men who hunted him to make 
speed slowly. There was only one good thing in the cruel 
heart of Chaka, that he would always save the life of a brave 
man if he could do so without making his word nothing. 
And for my part, I was glad to think that the man of my 
people had conquered him who murdered the children of the 
dying woman that we found at the kraal beyond the river. 


CHAPTEE V. 

MOPO BECOMES THE KING’s DOCTOR. 

These, then, my father, were the events that ended in 
the coming of me, Mopo, and of my sister Baleka to the 
kraal of Chaka, the Lion of the Zulu. Now you may ask 
why have I kept you so long with this tale, which is as 

1 Among the Zulus it is a very had omen for a dog to climb the roof of a 
hut. The saying conveyed a threat to be appreciated by every Zulu.— Ed. 


MOPO BECOMES THE KINGS DOCTOR 


33 


are other tales of our people. But that shall be seen, for 
from these matters, as a tree from a seed, grew the birth 
of Umslopogaas Bulalio, Umslopogaas the Slaughterer, and 
Nada the Beautiful, of whose love my story has to tell. 
For Nada was my daughter, and Umslopogaas, though few 
knew it, was none other than the son of Chaka, born of my 
sister Baleka. 

Now when Baleka recovered from the weariness of our 
flight, and had her beauty again, Chaka took her to wife, 
numbering her among his women, whom he named his 
‘^sisters.” And me Chaka took to be one of his doc- 
tors, of his izinyanga of medicine, and he was so well 
pleased with my medicine that in the end I became his 
head doctor. Now this was a great post, in which, during 
the course of years, I grew fat in cattle and in wives ; but 
also it was one of much danger. For when I rose strong 
and well in the morning, I could never know but that at 
night I should sleep stiff and red. Many were the doctors 
whom Chaka slew ; doctored they never so well, they were 
killed at last. For a day would surely come when the king 
felt ill in his body or heavy in his mind, and then to the 
assegai or the torment with the wizard who had doctored 
him ! Yet I escaped, because of the power of my medicine, 
and also because of that oath which Chaka had sworn to 
me as a child. So it came about that where the king went 
there I went with him. I slept near his hut, I sat behind 
him at council, in the battle I was ever at his side. 

Ah ! the battle ! — the battle ! In those days we knew 
how to fight, my father ! In those days the vultures would 
follow our impis by thousands, the hyenas would steal 
along our path in packs, and none went empty away. 
Never may I forget the first fight I stood in at the side of 
Chaka. It was just after the king had built his great kraal 
on the south bank of the Umhlatuze. Then it was that the 
chief Zwide attacked his rival Chaka for the third time and 
Chaka moved out to meet him with ten full regiments,^ 
now for the first time armed with the short stabbing- 
spear. 

1 About 30,000 men.— Ed. 

D 


34 


ATADA THE LILY 


The ground lay thus : On along, low hill in front of our 
impi were massed the regiments of Zwide ; there were 
seventeen of them ; the earth was black with their number ; 
their plumes filled the air like snow. We, too, were on a 
hill, and between us lay a valley down which there ran a 
little stream. All night our fires shone out across the 
valley j all night the songs of soldiers . echoed down the 
hills. Then the grey dawning came, the oxen lowed to 
the light, the regiments arose from their bed of spears; 
they sprang up and shook the dew from hair and shield — 
yes ! they arose ! the glad to die ! The impi assumed its 
array regiment by regiment. There was the breast of 
spears, there were the horns of spears, they were number- 
less as the stars, and like the stars they shone. The 
morning breeze came up and fanned them, their plumes 
bent in the breeze ; like a plain of seeding grass they bent, 
the plumes of the soldiers ripe for the assegai. Up over the 
shoulder of the hill came the sun of Slaughter ; it glowed 
red upon the red shields ; red grew the place of killing ; 
the white plumes of chiefs were dipped in the blood of 
heaven. They knew it ; they saw the omen of death, and, 
ah! they laughed in the joy of the waking of battle. 

What was death? Was it not well to die on the spear? 

What was death? Was it not well to die for the king? 

Death was the arms of Victory. Victory should be their 

bride that night, and oh ! her breast is fair. 

Hark ! the war-song, the Ingomo, the music of which has 
the power to drive men mad, rose far away to the left, and 
was thrown along from regiment to regiment — a rolling ball 
of sound — 

We are the king's kine, bred to be butchered t 
You, too, are one of us! 

' We are the Zulu, children of the Lion, 

What! did you tremble? 

Suddenly Chaka was seen stalking through the ranks, 
followed by his captains, his indunas, and by me. He 
walked along like a great buck ; death was in his eyes, and 
like a buck he sniffed the air, scenting the air of slaughter. 
He lifted his assegai, and a silence fell ; only the sound of 
chanting still rolled along the hills. 


MOPO BECOMES THE KING'S DOCTOR 


35 

Where are the children of Zwide?” he shouted, and 
his voice was like the voice of a bull. 

^‘Yonder, father,’’ answered the regiments. And every 
spear pointed across the valley. 

They do not come,” he shouted again. Shall we then 
sit here till we grow old ? ” 

“ No, father,” they answered. Begin ! begin ! ” 

“ Let the Umkandhlu regiment come forward ! ” he shouted 
a third time, and as he spoke the black shields of the Um- 
kandhlu leaped from the ranks of the impi. 

“ Go, my children ! ” cried Chaka. “ There is the foe. 
Go and return no more ! ” 

‘‘We hear you, father!” they answered with one voice, 
and moved down the slope like a countless herd of game 
with horns of steel. 

Now they crossed the stream, and now Zwide awoke. A 
murmur went through his companies ; lines of light played 
above his spears. 

0\il they are coming! Out they have met! Hearken 
to the thunder of the shields ! Hearken to the song of 
battle ! 

To and fro they swing. The Umkandhlu gives way — it 
dies ! They pour back across the stream — half of them ; 
the rest are dead. A howl of rage goes up from the host, 
only Chaka smiles. 

“ Open up ! open up ! ” he cries. “ Make room for the 
Umkandhlu girls And with hanging heads they pass 
behind us. 

Now he whispers a word to the indunas. The indunas 
run ; they whisper to Menziwa the general and to the cap- 
tains; then two regiments rush down the hill, two more 
run to the right, and yet another two to the left. But 
Chaka stays on the hill with the three that are left. Again 
comes the roar of the meeting shields. Ah! these are men: 
they fight, they do not run. Kegiment after regiment pours 
upon them, but still they stand. They fall by hundreds 
and by thousands, but no man shows his back, and on each 
man there lie two dead. Wow I my father, of those two 
regiments not one escaped. They were but boys, but they 


36 


ATAVA THE LILY 


were the children of Chaka. Menziwa was buried beneath 
the heaps of his warriors. Now there are no such men. 

They are all dead and quiet. Chaka still holds his hand ! 
He looks to the north and to the south. See ! spears are 
shining among the trees. Now the horns of our host close 
upon the flanks of the foe. They slay and are slain, but 
the men of Zwide are many and brave, and the battle turns 
against us. 

Then again Chaka speaks a word. The captains hear, the 
soldiers stretch out their necks to listen. 

It has come at last. “ Charge! Children of the ZvXuV^ 

There is a roar, a thunder of feet, a flashing of spears, a 
bending of plumes, and, like a river that has burst its banks, 
like storm-clouds before the gale, we sweep down upon friend 
and foe. They form up to meet us ; the stream is passed ; 
our wounded rise upon their haunches and wave us on. We 
trample them down. What matter? They can fight no 
more. Then we meet Zwide rushing to greet us, as bull 
meets bull. On ! my father, I know no more. Everything 
grows red. That fight ! that fight ! We swept them away. 
When it was done there was nothing to be seen, but the 
hillside was black and red. Eew fled ; few were left to fly. 
We passed over them like fire ; we ate them up. Presently 
we paused, looking for the foe. All were dead. The host 
of Zwide was no more. Then we mustered. Ten regiments 
had looked upon the morning sun ; three regiments saw the 
sun sink ; the rest had gone where no suns shine. 

Such were our battles in the days of Chaka ! 

You ask of the Umkandhlu regiment which fled. I will 
tell you. When we reached our kraal once more, Chaka 
summoned that regiment and mustered it. He spoke to 
them gently, gently. He thanked them for their service. 
He said it was natural that ‘‘ girls ’’ should faint at the sight 
of blood and turn to seek their kraals. Yet he had bid 
them come back no more and they had come back ! What 
then was there now left for him to do ? And he covered 
his face with his blanket. Then the soldiers killed them 
all, nearly two thousand of them — killed them with taunts 
and jeers. 


THE BIRTH OF UMSLOPOGAAS 


37 


That is how we dealt with cowards in those days, my 
father. After that, one Zulu was a match for five of any 
other tribe. If ten came against him, still he did not turn 
his back. Fight and fall, but fly not,’^ that was our 
watchword. Never again while Chaka lived did a con- 
quered force pass the gates of the king’s kraal. 

That fight was but one war out of many. With every 
moon a fresh impi started to wash its spears, and came 
back few and thin, but with victory and countless cattle. 
Tribe after tribe went down before us. Those of them 
who escaped the assegai were enrolled into fresh regiments, 
and thus, though men died by thousands every month, yet 
the army grew. Soon there were no other chiefs left. Um- 
suduka fell, and after him Mancengeza. Umzilikazi was 
driven north ; Matiwane was stamped flat. Then we poured 
into this land of Natal. When we entered, its people could 
not be numbered. When we left, here and there a man 
might be found hidden in a hole in the earth — that was all. 
Men, women, and children, we wiped them out ; the land 
was clean of them. Next came the turn of U’Faku, chief 
of the Amapondos. Ah ! where is U’Faku now ? 

And so it went on and on, till even the Zulus were weary 
of war and the sharpest assegais grew blunt. 


CHAPTEK VI. 

THE BIRTH OF UMSLOPOGAAS. 

This was the rule of the life of Chaka, that he would 
have no children, though he had many wives. Every child 
born to him by his sisters ” was put away at once. 

^^What, Mopo,” he said to me, shall I rear up children 
to put me to the assegai when they grow great ? They 
call me tyrant. Say, how do those chiefs die whom men 
name tyrants ? They die at the hands of those whom they 
have bred. Nay, Mopo, I will rule for my life, and when I 
join the spirits of my fathers let the strongest take my 
power and my place ! ” 


38 


NADA THE LILY 


Now it chanced that shortly after Chaka had spoken 
thus, my sister Baleka, the king’s wife, fell in labour ; and 
on that same day my wife Macropha was brought to bed of 
twins, and this but eight days after my second wife, Anadi, 
had given birth to a sou. You ask, my father, how I came 
to be married, seeing that Chaka forbade marriage to 
all his soldiers till they were in middle life and had put 
the man’s ring upon their heads. It was a boon he granted 
me as inyanga of medicine, saying it was well that a doctor 
should know the sicknesses of women and learn how to 
cure their evil tempers. As though, my father, that were 
possible ! 

When the king heard that Baleka was sick he did not kill 
her outright, because he loved her a little, but he sent for 
me, commanding me to attend her, and when the child 
was born to cause its body to be brought to him, according 
to custom, so that he might be sure that it was dead. I 
bent to the earth before him, and went to do his bidding 
with a heavy heart, for was not Baleka my sister? and 
would not her child be of my own blood ? Still, it must be 
so, for Chaka’s whisper was as the shout of other kings, 
and, if we dared to disobey, then our lives and the lives 
of all in our kraal would answer for it. Better that an in- 
fant should die than that we should become food for jackals. 
Presently I came to the Emposeni, the place of the king’s 
wives, and declared the king’s word to the soldiers on guard. 
They lowered their assegais and let me pass, and I entered 
the hut of Baleka. In it were others of the king’s wives, 
but when they saw me they rose and went away, for it was 
not lawful that they should stay where I was. Thus I was 
left alone with my sister. 

Por awhile she lay silent and I did not speak, though I 
saw by the heaving of her breast that she was weeping. 

Hush, little one ! ” I said at length ; your sorrow will 
soon be done.” 

“Nay,” she answered, lifting her head, “it will be but 
begun. Oh, cruel man ! I know the reason of your coming. 
You come co murder the babe that shall be born of me.” 

“ It is the king’s word, woman.” 


THE BIRTH OF UMSLOPOGAAS 


39 


is the king’s word, and what is the king’s word? 
Have I, then, naught to say in this matter ? ” 

“ It is the king’s child, woman.” 

''It is the king’s child, and is it not also my child? 
Must my babe be dragged from my breast and be stran- 
gled, and by you, Mopo ? Have I not loved you, Mopo ? 
Did I not flee with you from our people and the ven- 
geance of our father ? Do you know that not two moons 
gone the king was wroth with you because he fell sick, 
and would have caused you to be slain had I not pleaded 
for you and called his oath to mind ? And thus you pay 
me : you come to kill my child, my first-born child !” 

" It is the king’s word, woman,” I answered sternly ; but 
my heart was split in two within me. 

Then Baleka said no more, but, turning her face to the 
wall of the hut, she wept and groaned bitterly. 

Now, as she wept I heard a stir without the hut, and the 
light in the doorway was darkened. A woman entered 
alone. I looked round to see who it was, then fell upon the 
ground in salutation, for before me was Unandi, mother of 
the king, who was named "Mother of the Heavens,” that 
same lady to whom my mother had refused the milk. 

" Hail, Mother of the Heavens ! ” I said. 

" Greeting, Mopo,” she answered. "Say, why does Baleka 
weep ? Is it because the sorrow of women is upon her ? ” 

"Ask of her, great chieftainess,” I said. 

Then Baleka spoke : " I weep, mother of a king, because 
this man, who is my brother, has come from him who is my 
lord and thy son, to murder that which shall be born of me. 
0 thou whose breasts have given suck, plead for me ! Thy 
son was not slain at birth.” 

" Perhaps it were well if he had been so slain, Baleka,” 
said Unandi; "then had many another man lived to look 
upon the sun who is now dead.” 

"At the least, as an infant he was good and gentle, and 
thou mightest love him. Mother of the Zulu.” 

"Never, Baleka! As a babe he bit my breast and tore 
my hair ; as the man is so was the babe.” 

" Yet may his child be otherwise, Mother of the Heavens I 


40 


JVADA THE LILY 


Think, thon hast no grandson to comfort thee in thy age. 
Wilt thou, then, see all thy stock wither ? The king, our 
lord, lives in war. He too may die, and what then ? ’’ 

Then the root of Senzangacona is still green. Has the 
king no brothers ? ’’ 

“ They are not of thy flesh, mother. What ? thou dost 
not hearken! Then as a woman to woman I plead with 
thee. Save my child or slay me with my child ! ’’ 

Now the heart of Unandi grew gentle, and she was moved 
to tears. 

“ How may this be done, Mopo ? ’’ she said. The king 
must see the dead infant, and if he suspect, and even reeds 
have ears, you know the heart of Chaka and where we shall 
lie to-morrow.” 

Are there then no other new-born babes in Zululand ? ” 
said Baleka, sitting up and speaking in a whisper like the 
hiss of a snake. “ Listen, Mopo ! Is not your wife also in 
labour ? Now hear me. Mother of the Heavens, and, my 
brother, hear me also. Ho not think to play with me in 
this matter. I will save my child or you twain shall perish 
with it. For I will tell the king that you came to me, the 
two of you, and whispered plots into my ear — plots to save 
the child and kill the king. Now choose, and swiftly I ” 

She sank back, there was silence, and we looked one upon 
another. Then Unandi spoke. 

^^Give me your hand, Mopo, and swear that you will be 
faithful to me in this secret, as I swear to you. A day 
may come when this child who has not seen the light rules 
as king in Zululand, and then in reward you shall be the 
greatest of the people, the king’s voice, whisperer in the 
king’s ear. But if you break your oath, then beware, for I 
will not die alone I ” 

“ I swear. Mother of the Heavens,” I answered. 

It is well, son of Makedama.” 

“It is well, my brother,” said Baleka. ^^Now go and do 
that which must be done swiftly, for my sorrow is upon 
me. Go, knowing that if you fail I will be pitiless, for I 
will bring you to your death, yes, even if my own death 
is the price ! ” 


THE BIRTH OF UMSLOPOGAAS 


41 


So I went. “ Whither do you go ? ” asked the guard at 
the gate. 

go to bring my medicines, men of the king,” I 
answered. 

So I said ; but, oh ! my heart was heavy, and this was 
my plan — to fly far from Zululand. I could not, and I 
dared not do this thing. What? should I kill my own 
child that its life might be given for the life of the babe 
of Baleka ^ And should I lift up my will against the will 
of the king, saving the child to look upon the sun which he 
had doomed to darkness ? Nay, I would fly, leaving all, and 
seek out some far tribe where I might begin to live again. 
Here I could not live ; here in the shadow of Chaka was 
nothing but death. 

I reached my own huts, there to And that my wife 
Macropha was delivered of twins. I sent away all in the 
hut except my other wife, Anadi, she who eight days gone 
had borne me a son. The second of the twins was born ; 
it was a boy, born dead. The first was a girl, she who lived 
to be Nada the Beautiful, Nada the Lily. Then a thought 
came into my heart. Here was a path to run on. 

“ Give me the boy,” I said to Anadi. He is not dead. 
Give him to me that I may take him outside the kraal 
and wake him to life by my medicine.” 

“ It is of no use — the child is dead,” said Anadi. 

Give him to me, woman ! ” I said fiercely. And she 
gave me the body. 

Then I took him and wrapped him up in my bundle of 
medicines, and outside of all I rolled a mat of plaited grass. 

Suffer none to enter the hut till I return,” I said; 
^^and speak no word of the child that seems to be dead. 
If you allow any to enter, or if you speak a word, then my 
medicine will not work and the babe will be dead indeed.” 

So I went, leaving the women wondering, for it is not 
our custom to save both when twins are born ; but I ran 
swiftly to the gates of the Emposeni. 

“ I bring the medicines, men of the king ! ” I said to the 
guards. 

Pass in,” they answered. 


42 


ATADA THE LILY 


I passed througli the gates and into the hut of Baleka. 
Unandi was alone in the hut with my sister. 

“ The child is born,’’ said the mother of the king. “ Look 
at him, Mopo, son of Makedama ! ” 

I looked. He was a great child with large black eyes 
like the eyes of Chaka the king; and Unandi, too, looked 
at me. “ Where is it ? ” she whispered. 

I loosed the mat and drew the dead child from the medi- 
cines, glancing round fearfully as I did so. 

Give me the living babe,” I whispered back. 

They gave it to me and I took of a drug that I knew and 
rubbed it on the tongue of the child. Now this drug has 
the power to make the tongue it touches dumb for awhile. 
Then I wrapped up the child in my medicines and again 
bound the mat about the bundle. But round the throat of 
the still-born babe I tied a string of fibre as though I had 
strangled it, and wrapped it loosely in a piece of matting. 

Now for the first time I spoke to Baleka : “ Woman,” I 
said, “ and thou also. Mother of the Heavens, I have done 
your wish, but know that before all is finished this deed 
shall bring about the death of many. Be secret as the 
grave, for the grave yawns for you both.” 

I went again, bearing the mat containing the dead child 
in my right hand. But the bundle of medicines .that held 
the living one T fastened across my shoulders. I passed 
out of the Emposeni, and, as I went, I held up the bundle 
in my right hand to the guards, showing them that which 
was in it, but saying nothing. 

“ It is good,” they said, nodding. 

But now ill-fortune found me, for just outside the Em- 
poseni I met three of the king’s messengers. 

Greeting, son of Makedama ! ” they said. The king 
summons you to the Intunkulu ” — ^that is the royal house, 
my father. 

^^Good!” I answered. ^‘1 will come now; but first I 
would run to my own place to see how it goes with Macro- 
pha, my wife. Here is that which the king seeks,” and I 
showed them the dead child. “Take it to him if you 
will.” . 


THE BIRTH OF UMSLOPOGAAS 


43 


That is not the king’s command, Mopo,” they answered. 

His word is that you should stand before him at once.” 

Now my heart turned to water in my breast. Kings 
have many ears. Could he have heard ? And how dared 
I go before the Lion bearing his living child hidden on my 
back ? Yet to waver was to be lost, to show fear was to be 
lost, to disobey was to be lost. 

“ Good ! I come,” I answered. And we walked to the 
gate of the Intunkulu. 

It was sundown. Chaka was sitting in the little court- 
yard in front of his hut. I went down on my knees before 
him and gave the royal salute, BayMe, and so I stayed. 

“ Rise, son of Makedama ! ” he said. 

cannot rise. Lion of the Zulu,” I answered. can- 
not rise, having royal blood on my hands, till the king has 
pardoned me.” 

“ Where is it ? ” he asked. 

I pointed to the mat in my hand. 

“ Let me look at it.” 

Then I undid the mat, and he looked on the child, and 
laughed aloud. 

‘^He might have been a king,” he said, as he bade a 
councillor take it away. Mopo, thou hast slain one who 
might have been a king. Art thou not afraid ? ” 

^^No, Black One,” I answered, “the child is killed by 
order of one who is a king.” 

“ Sit down, and let us talk,” said Chaka, for his mood was 
idle. “ To-morrow thou shalt have five oxen for this deed ; 
thou shalt choose them from the royal herd.” 

“ The king is good ; he sees that my belt is drawn tight ; 
he satisfies my hunger. Will the king suffer that I go ? 
My wife is in labour and I would visit her.” 

“Nay, stay awhile; say how is it with Baleka, my sister 
and thine ? ” 

“ It is well.” 

“ Did she weep when you took the babe from her ? ” 

“ Nay, she wept not. She said, ‘My lord’s will is my will.’ ” 

“ Good ! Had she wept she had been slain also. Who 
was with her ? 


44 


JV^ADA THE LTLY 


** The Mother of the Heavens.” 

The brow of Chaka darkened. ^^tJnandi, ray mother, 
what did she there ? By myself I swear, though she is my 
mother — if I thought ” — and he ceased. 

There was a silence, then he spoke again. Say, what is 
in that mat ? ” and he pointed with his little assegai at the 
bundle on my shoulders. 

Medicine, king.” 

Thou dost carry enough to doctor an impi. Undo the 
mat and let me look at it.” 

How, my father, I tell you that the marrow melted in my 
bones with terror, for if I undid the mat I feared he must 
see the child and then 

“ It is tagati, it is bewitched, 0 king. It is not wise to 
look on medicine.” 

Open ! ” he answered angrily. What ? may I not look 
at that which I am forced to swallow — I, who am the first 
of doctors ? ” 

Death is the king’s medicine,” I answered, lifting the 
bundle, and laying it as far from him in the shadow of the 
fence as I dared. Then I bent over it, slowly undoing 
the rimpis with which it was tied, while the sweat of terror 
ran down my face blinding me like tears. What should I 
do if he saw the child? What if the child awoke and 
cried ? I would snatch the assegai from his hand and stab 
him ! Yes, I would kill the king and then kill myself ! 
How the mat was unrolled. Inside were the brown leaves 
and roots of medicine; beneath them was the senseless 
babe wrapped in dead moss. 

^^Ugly stuff,” said the king, taking snuff. ^^How see, 
Mopo, what a good aim I have ! This for thy medicine ! ” 
And he lifted his assegai to throw it through the bundle. 
But as he threw, my snake put it into the king’s heart to 
sneeze, and thus it came to pass that the assegai only pierced 
the outer leaves of the medicine, and did not touch the 
child. 

May the heavens bless the king ! ” I said, according to 
custom. 

Thanks to thee, Mopo, it is a good omen,” he answered. 



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THE BIRTH OF UMSLOPOGAAS 


45 


And now begone ! Take my advice : kill thy children, as 
I kill mine, lest they live to worry thee. The whelps of 
lions are best drowned.’’ 

I did up the bundle fast— fast, though my hands 
trembled. Oh ! what if the child should wake and cry. It 
was done; I rose and saluted the king. Then I doubled 
myself up and passed from before him. Scarcely was I out- 
side the gates of the IntunTculu when the infant began to 
squeak in the bundle. If it had been one minute before ! 

^^What,” said a soldier, as I passed, ^‘have you got a 
puppy hidden under your moocha,^ Mopo ? ” 

I made no answer, but hurried on till I came to my huts. 
I entered ; there were my two wives alone. 

I have recovered the child, women,” I said, as I undid 
the bundle. 

Anadi took him and looked at him. 

The boy seems bigger than he was,” she said. 

'^The breath of life has come into him and puffed him 
out,” I answered. 

^^His eyes are not as his eyes were,” she said again. 
^^Now they are big and black, like the eyes of the king.” 

My spirit looked upon his eyes and made them beauti- 
ful,” I answered. 

^^This child has a birth-mark on his thigh,” she said a 
third time. That which I gave you had no mark.” 

^^I laid my medicine there,” I answered. 

^^It is not the same child,” she said sullenly. ^^It is a 
changeling who will lay ill-luck at our doors.” 

Then I rose up in my rage and cursed her heavily, for I 
saw that if she was not stopped this woman’s tongue would 
bring us all to ruin. 

Peace, witch ! ” I cried. How dare you to speak thus 
from a lying heart? Do you wish to draw down a curse 
upon our roof ? Would you make us all food for the king’s 
spear ? Say such words again, and you shall sit within the 
circle — the Ingomhoco shall know you for a witch !” 

So I stormed on, threatening to bring her to death, till at 


1 Girdle composed of skin and tails of oxen.— Ed. 


46 


JVADA THE LILY 


length she grew fearful, and fell at my feet praying for 
mercy and forgiveness. But I was much afraid because 
of this woman’s tongue, and not without reason. 


CHAPTER VII. 

UMSLOPOGAAS ANSWERS THE KING. 

Now the years went on, and this matter slept. Nothing 
more was heard of it, but still it only slept ; and, my father, 
I feared greatly for the hour when it should awake. For 
the secret was known by two women — Unandi, Mother of 
the Heavens, and Baleka, my sister, wife of the king ; and 
by two more — Macropha and Anadi, my wives — it was 
guessed at. How, then, should it remain a secret forever ? 
Moreover, it came about that Unandi and Baleka could 
not restrain their fondness for this child who was called 
my son and named Umslopogaas, but who was the son of 
Chaka, the king, and of Baleka, and the grandson of Unandi. 
So it happened that very often one or the other of them 
would come into my hut, making pretence to visit my wives, 
and take the boy upon her lap and fondle it. In vain did I 
pray them to forbear. Love pulled at their heartstrings 
more heavily than my words, and still they came. This 
was the end of it — that Chaka saw the child sitting on the 
knee of Unandi, his mother. 

^‘What does my mother with that brat of thine, Mopo?” 
he asked of me. “ Cannot she kiss me, if she will find a 
child to kiss ?” And he laughed like a wolf. 

I said that I did not know, and the matter passed over 
for awhile. But after that Chaka caused his mother to 
be watched. Now the boy Umslopogaas grew great and 
strong; there was no such lad of his years for a day’s 
journey round. But from a babe he was somewhat surly, 
of few words, and like his father, Chaka, afraid of nothing. 
In all the world there were but two people whom he loved 
— these were I, Mopo, who was called his father, and Nada, 
she who was said to be his twin sister. 


UMSLOFOGAAS ANSWERS THE KING 


47 


Now it must be told of Nada that as the boy Umslopogaas 
was the strongest and bravest of children, so the girl Nada 
was the gentlest and the most fair. Of a truth, my father, 
1 believe that her blood was not all Zulu, though this I can- 
not say for certain. At the least, her eyes were softer and 
larger than those of our people, her hair longer and less 
tightly curled, and her skin was lighter — more of the colour 
of pure copper. These things she had from her mother, 
Macropha; though she was fairer than Macropha — fairer, 
indeed, than any woman of my people whom I have seen. 
Her mother, Macropha, my wife, was of Swazi blood, and 
was brought to the king’s kraal with other captives after a 
raid, and given to me as a wife by the king. It was said 
that she was the daughter of a Swazi headman of the tribe 
of the Halakazi, and that she was born of his wife is true, 
but whether he was her father I do not know ; for I have 
heard from the lips of Macropha herself, that before she 
was born there was a white man staying at her father’s 
kraal. He was a Portuguese from the coast, a handsome 
man, and skilled in the working of iron. This white man 
loved the mother of my wife, Macropha, and some held 
that Macropha was his daughter, and not that of the Swazi 
headman. At least I know this, that before my wife’s birth 
the Swazi killed the white man. But none can tell the truth 
of these matters, and I only speak of them because the 
beauty of Nada was rather as is the beauty of the white 
people than of ours, and this might well happen if her 
grandfather chanced to be a white man. 

Now Umslopogaas and Nada were always together. 
Together they ate, together they slept and wandered ; they 
thought one thought and spoke with one tongue. Ou ! it 
was pretty to see them ! Twice while they were children 
did Umslopogaas save the life of Nada. 

The first time it came about thus. The two children had 
wandered far from the kraal, seeking certain berries that 
little ones love. On they wandered and on, singing as they 
went, till at length they found the berries, and ate heartily. 
Then it was near sundown, and when they had eaten they 
fell asleep. In the night they woke to find a great wind 


48 


JVADA THE LILY 


blowing and a cold rain falling on them, for it was the 
beginning of winter, when fruits are ripe. 

“ Up, JSTada ! ” said Umslopogaas, we must seek the 
kraal or the cold will kill us.” 

So Nada rose, frightened, and hand in hand they stumbled 
through the darkness. But in the wind and the night they 
lost their path, and when at length the dawn came they w^ere 
in a forest that was strange to them. They rested awhile, 
and finding berries ate them, then walked again. All that 
day they wandered, till at last the night came dowm, and 
they plucked branches of trees and piled the branches over 
them for warmth, and they were so weary that they fell 
asleep in each other’s arms. At dawn they rose, but now 
they were very tired and berries were few, so that by mid- 
day they were spent. Then they lay down on the side of 
a steep hill, and Nada laid her head upon the breast of 
Umslopogaas. 

“ Here let us die, my brother,” she said. 

But even then the boy had a great spirit, and he answered, 
“ Time to die, sister, when Death chooses us. See, now ! 
Do you rest here, and I will climb the hill and look across 
the forest.” 

So he left her and climbed the hill, and on its side he 
found many berries and a root that is good for food, and 
filled himself with them. At length he came to the crest of 
the hill and looked out across the sea of green. Lo ! there, 
far away to the east, he saw a line of white that lay like 
smoke against the black surface of a cliff, and kne^v it for 
the waterfall beyond the royal town. Then he came down 
the hill, shouting for joy and bearing roots and berries in 
his hand. But when he reached the spot where Hada was, 
he found that her senses had left her through hunger, cold, 
and weariness. She lay upon the ground like one asleep, 
and over her stood a jackal that fled as he drew nigh. How 
it would seem that there were but two shoots to the stick 
of Umslopogaas. One was to save himself, and the other 
to lie down and die by Hada. Yet he found a third, for, 
undoing the strips of his moocha, he made ropes of them, and 
with the ropes he bound Hada upon his back and started 


UMSLOPOGAAS ANSWERS THE KING 49 

for the king’s kraal. He could never have reached it, for 
the way was long, yet at evening some messengers running 
through the foregt came upon a naked lad with a girl bound 
to his back and a staff in his hand, who staggered along 
slowly with starting eyes and foam upon his lips. He could 
not speak, he was so weary, and the ropes had cut through the 
skin of his shoulders ; yet one of the messengers knew him 
for Umslopogaas, the son of Mopo, and they bore him to 
the kraal. They would have left the girl Nada, thinking 
her dead, but he pointed to her breast, and, feeling it, they 
found that her heart still beat, so they brought her also ; 
and the end of it was that both recovered and loved each 
other more than ever before. 

Now after this, I, Mopo, bade Umslopogaas stay at home 
within the kraal, and not lead his sister to the wilds. But 
the boy loved roaming like a fox, and where he went there 
Nada followed. So it came about that one day they slipped 
from the kraal when the gates were open, and sought out a 
certain deep glen which had an evil name, for it was said 
that spirits haunted it and put those to death who entered 
there. Whether this was true I do not know, but I know 
that in the glen dwelt a certain woman of the woods, who 
had her habitation in a cave and lived upon what she could 
kill or steal or dig up with her hands. Now this woman 
was mad. For it had chanced that her husband had been 

smelt out” by the witch-doctors as a worker of magic 
against the king, and slain. Then Chaka, according to 
custom, despatched the slayers to eat up his kraal, and they 
came to the kraal and killed his people. Last of all they 
killed his children, three young girls, and would have 
assegaied their mother, his wife, when suddenly a spirit 
entered into her at the sight, and she went mad, so that 
they let her go, being afraid to touch her because of the 
spirit within her; nor would any touch her afterwards. So 
she fled and took up her abode in the haunted glen ; and 
this was the nature of her madness, that whenever she saw 
children, and more especially girl children, a longing came 
upon her to kill them as her own had been killed. This, 
indeed, t lie did often, for when the moon was full and her 


50 


JVADA THE LILY 


madness at its highest, she would travel far to find chih 
dren, snatching them away from the kraals like a hyena. 
Still, none would touch her because of the spirit in her, not 
even those whose children she had murdered. 

So Umslopogaas and Nada came to the glen where the 
child-slayer lived, and sat down by a pool of water not far 
from the mouth of her cave, weaving flowers into a garland. 
Presently Umslopogaas left Nada, to search for rock lilies 
which she loved. As he went he called back to her, 
and his voice awoke the woman who was sleeping in her 
cave, for she came out by night only, like a jackal. Then 
the woman stepped forth, smelling blood and having a 
spear in her hand. Presently she saw Nada seated upon 
the grass weaving flowers, and crept towards her to kill her. 
Now as she came — so the child told me — suddenly a cold 
wind seemed to breathe upon Nada, and fear took hold of 
her, though she did not see the woman who would murder 
her. She let fall the flowers, and looked before her into 
the pool, and there, mirrored in the pool, she saw the greedy 
face of the child-slayer, who crept down upon her from 
above, her hair hanging about her brow and her eyes shin- 
ing like the eyes of a lion. 

Then with a cry Nada sprang up and fled along the path 
which Umslopogaas had taken, and after her leapt and ran 
the mad woman. Umslopogaas heard her cry. He turned 
and rushed back over the brow of the hill, and, lo ! there 
before him was the murderess. Already she had grasped 
Nada by the hair, already her spear was lifted to pierce 
her. Umslopogaas had no spear, he had nothing but a 
little stick without a knob ; yet with it he rushed at the mad 
woman and struck her so smartly on the arm that she let go 
of the girl and turned on him with a yell. Then, lifting her 
spear, she struck at him, but he leapt aside. Again she 
struck; but he sprang into the air, and the spear passed 
beneath him. A third time the woman struck, and, though 
he fell to earth to avoid the blow, yet the assegai pierced 
his shoulder. But the weight of his body as he fell 
twisted it from her hand, and before she could grasp him 
he was up, and beyond her reach, the spear still fast in 
his shoulder. 


C/MSLOPOGAAS ANSWERS THE KING 


51 


Then the woman turned, screaming with rage and mad- 
ness, and ran at hfada to kill her with her hands. But 
Umslopogaas set his teeth, and, drawing the spear from his 
wound, charged her, shouting. She lifted a great stone 
and hurled it at him — so hard that it flew into fragments 
against another stone which it struck ; yet he charged on, 
and smote at her so truly that he drove the spear through 
her, and she fell down dead. After that Nada bound up 
his wound, which was deep, and with much pain he reached 
the king’s kraal and told me this story. 

Now there were some who cried that the boy must be 
put to death, because he had killed one possessed with a 
spirit. But I said no, he should not be touched. He had 
killed the woman in defence of his own life and the life of 
his sister j and every one had a right to slay in self-defence, 
except as against the king or those who did the king’s bid- 
ding. Moreover, I said, if the woman had a spirit, it was 
an evil one, for no good spirit would ask the lives of chil- 
dren, but rather those of cattle, for it is against our cus- 
tom to sacrifice human beings to the Amatonga even in 
war, though the Basutu dogs do so. Still, the tumult grew, 
for the witch-doctors were set upon the boy’s death, saying 
that evil would come of it if he was allowed to live, having 
killed one inspired, and at last the matter came to the ears 
of the king. Then Chaka summoned me and the boy be- 
fore him, and he also summoned the witch-doctors. 

First, the witch-doctors set out their case, demanding the 
death of Umslopogaas. Chaka asked them what would hap^ 
pen if the boy was not killed. They answered that the spirit 
of the dead woman would lead him to bring evil on the royal 
house. Chaka asked if he would bring evil upon him, the 
king. They in turn asked of the spirits, and answered no, 
not on him, but on one of the royal house who should be 
after him. Chaka said that he cared nothing what happened 
to those who came after him, or whether good or evil be- 
fell them. Then he spoke to Umslopogaas, who looked 
him boldly in the face, as an equal looks at an equal. 

‘‘ Boy,” he said, what hast thou to say as to why thou 
shouldst not bo killed as these men demand ? ” 

e2 


52 


JVADA THE LILY 


^^This, Black One/^ answered Umslopogaas ; “that I 
stabbed the woman in defence of my own life/^ 

“ That is nothing/^ said Chaka. “ If I, the king, wished 
to kill thee, mightest thou therefore kill me or those whom 
I sent ? The Itongo in the woman was a Spirit King and 
ordered her to kill thee ; thou shouldst then have let thy- 
self be killed. Hast thou no other reason ? ” 

“ This, Elephant,” answered Umslopogaas; “the woman 
would have murdered my sister, whom I love better than 
my life.” 

“ That is nothing,” said Chaka. “ If I ordered thee to be 
killed for any cause, should I not also order all within thy 
gates to be killed with thee ? May not, then, a Spirit King 
do likewise ? If thou hast nothing more to say thou must 
die.” 

Kow I grew afraid, for I feared lest Chaka should slay 
him who was called my son because of the word of the 
doctors. But the boy Umslopogaas looked up and answered 
boldly, not as one who pleads for his life, but as one who 
demands a right : — 

“ I have this to say. Eater-up of Enemies, and if it is not 
enough, let us stop talking, and let me be killed. Thou, 
0 king, didst command that this woman should be slain. 
Those whom thou didst send to destroy her spared her, be- 
cause they thought her mad. I have carried out the com- 
mandment of the king; I have slain her, mad or sane, 
whom the king commanded should be killed, and I have 
earned not death, but a reward.” 

“ Well said, Umslopogaas ! ” answered Chaka. “Let ten 
head of cattle be given to this boy with the heart of a man ; 
his father shall guard them for him. Art thou satisfied 
now, Umslopogaas ? ” 

“ I take that which is due to me, and I thank the king 
because he need not pay unless he will,” Umslopogaas 
answered. 

Chaka stared awhile, began to grow angry, then burst out 
laughing. 

“ Why, this calf is such another one as was dropped long 
ago in the kraal of Senzangacona ! ” he said. “As I was, 


THE GREAT INGOMBOCO 


53 


so is this boy. Go on, lad, in that path, and thou mayst 
find those who shall cry the royal salute of BayUe to thee 
at the end of it. Only keep out of my way, for two of a 
kind might not agree. Now begone ! 

So we went, but as we passed them I saw the doctors 
muttering together, for they were ill-pleased and foreboded 
evil. Also they were jealous of me, and wished to smite 
me through the heart of him who was called my son. 


CHAPTER YIII. 

THE GREAT INGOMBOCO. 

After this there was quiet till the Feast of the First- 
fruits was ended. But few people were killed at this feast, 
though there was a great Ingomhoco, or witch-hunt, and 
many were smelt out by the witch-doctors as working magic 
against the king. Now things had come to this pass in 
Zululand — that the whole people cowered before the witch- 
doctors. No man might sleep safe, for none knew but that 
on the morrow he would be touched by the wand of an Isol- 
nusif as we name a finder of witches, and led away to his 
death. For awhile Chaka said nothing, and so long as the 
doctors smelt out those only whom he wished to be rid of — 
and they were many — he was well pleased. But when they 
began to work for their own ends, and to do those to death 
whom he did not desire to kill, he grew angry. Yet the 
custom of the land was that he whom the witch-doctor 
touched must die, he and all his house ; therefore the king 
was in a cleft stick, for he scarcely dared to save even 
those whom he loved. One night I came to doctor him, 
for he was sick in his mind. On that very day there had 
been an Ingomhoco, and five of the bravest captains of the 
army had been smelt out by the Ahangoma, the witch-find- 
ers, together with many others. All had been destroyed, 
and men had been sent to kill the wives and children 
of the dead. Now Chaka was very angry at this slaying, 
and opened his heart to me. 


54 


JVADA THE LILY 


“The witch-doctors rule in Zululand, and not I, Mopo, 
son of Makedama/^ he said to me. “ Where, then, is it to 
end ? Shall I myself be smelt out and slain ? These 
Isanusis are too strong for me; they lie upon the land 
like the shadow of night. Tell me, how may I be free 
of them?” 

“ Those who walk the Bridge of Spears, O king, fall off 
into Nowhere,” I answered darkly ; “ even witch-doctors 
cannot keep a footing on that bridge. Has not a witch- 
doctor a heart that can cease to beat ? Has he not blood 
that can be made to flow ? ” 

Chaka looked at me strangely. “ Thou art a bold man 
who darest to speak thus to me, Mopo,” he said. “Dost 
thou not know that it is sacrilege to touch an Isanusi ? ” 

“ I speak that which is in the king’s mind,” I answered. 
“ Hearken, 0 king ! It is indeed sacrilege to touch a true 
Isanusi, but what if the Isanusi be a liar ? What if he 
smell out falsely, bringing those to death who are innocent 
of evil ? Is it then sacrilege to bring him to that end 
which he has given to many another ? Say, 0 king ! ” 
“Good words !” answered Chaka. “Now tell me, son of 
Makedama, how may this matter be put to proof ? ” 

Then I leaned forward, whispering into the ear of the 
Black One, and he nodded heavily. 

Thus I spoke then, because I, too, saw the evil of the 
Isanusis, I who knew their secrets. Also, I feared for my 
own life and for the liyes of all those who were dear to me. 
Bor they hated me as one instructed in their magic, one 
who had the seeing eye and the hearing ear. 

One morning thereafter a new thing came to pass in the 
royal kraal, for the king himself ran out, crying aloud to 
all people to come and see the evil that had been worked 
upon him by a wizard. They came together and saw this. 
On the door-posts of the gateway of the Intunkulu, the 
house of the king, were great smears of blood. The knees 
of men strong in the battle trembled when they saw it; 
women wailed aloud as they wail over the dead; they 
wailed because of the horror of the omen. 

“ Who has done this thing ? ” cried Chaka in a terrible 


THE GREAT INGOMBOCO 


55 


voice. Who has dared to bewitch the king and to strike 
blood upon his house ? ” 

There was no answer, and Chaka spoke again. << This is 
no little matter,’’ he said, “ to be washed away^ with the 
blood of one or two and be forgotten. The man who 
wrought it shall not die alone or travel with a few to the 
world of spirits. All his tribe shall go with him, down to 
the baby in his hut and the cattle in his kraal ! Let mes- 
sengers go out east and west, and north and south, and sum- 
mon the witch-doctors from every quarter ! Let them 
summon the captains from every regiment and the head- 
men from every kraal ! On the tenth day from now the 
circle of the Ingomboco must be set, and there shall be such 
a smelling out of wizards and of witches as has not been 
known in Zululand ! ” 

So the messengers went out to do the bidding of the 
king, taking the names of those who should be summoned 
from the lips of the indunas, and day by day people flocked 
up to the gates of the royal kraal, and, creeping on their 
knees before the majesty of the king, praised him aloud. 
But he vouchsafed an answer to none. One noble only he 
caused to be killed, because he carried in his hand a stick 
of the royal red wood, which Chaka himself had given him 
in bygone years.^ 

On the last night before the forming of the IngombocOf 
the witch-doctors, male and female, entered the kraal. 
There were a hundred and half a hundred of them, and 
they were made hideous and terrible with the white bones 
of men, with bladders of fish and of oxen, with fat of wiz- 
ards, and with skins of snakes. They walked in silence 
till they came in front of the Intunkulu, the royal house ; 
then they stopped and sang this song for the king to 
hear : — 

We have come, 0 king, we have come from the caves and the rocks 
and the swamps. 

To wash in the blood of the slain ; 

We have gathered our host from the air as vultures are gathered in war 

When they scent the blood of the slain. 

1 This beautiful wood is known in Natal as “ red ivory Ed. 


56 


ATADA THE LILY 


We come not alone, O king : with each Wise One there passes a ghost, 
Who hisses the name of the doomed. 

We come not alone, for we are the sons and Indunas of Death, 

And he guides our feet to the doomed. 

Red rises the moon o’er the plain, red sinks the sun in the west, 

Look, wizards, and hid them farewell ! 

We count you by hundreds, you who cried for a curse on the king, 

Ha ! soon shall we bid you farewell ! 

Then they were silent, and went in silence to the place 
appointed for them, there to pass the night in mutterings 
and magic. But those who were gathered together shivered 
with fear when they heard their words, for they knew well 
that many a man would be switched with the gnu’s tail 
before the sun sank once more. And I, too, trembled, for 
my heart was full of fear. Ah ! my father, those were 
evil days to live in when Chaka ruled, and death met us at 
every turn ! Then no man might call his life his own, or 
that of his wife or child, or anything. All were the king’s, 
and what war spared that the witch-doctors took. 

The morning dawned heavily, and before it was well light 
the heralds were out summoning all to the king’s Ingomhoco. 
Men came by hundreds, carrying short sticks only — for to 
be seen armed was death — and seated themselves in the 
great circle before the gates of the royal house. Oh ! their 
looks were sad, and they had little stomach for eating that 
morning, they who were food for death. They seated them- 
selves ; then round them on the outside of the circle gath- 
ered knots of warriors, chosen men, great and fierce, armed 
with kerries only. These were the slayers. 

When all was ready, the king came out, followed by 
his indunas and by me. As he appeared, wrapped in his 
kaross of tiger-skins and towering a head higher than any 
man there, all the multitude — and it was many as the game 
on the hills — cast themselves to earth, and from every lip 
sharp and sudden went up the royal salute of Bay4te, But 
Chaka took no note ; his brow was cloudy as a mountain- 
top. He cast one glance at the people and one at the slayers, 
and wherever his eye fell men turned grey with fear. Then 


THE GREAT INGOMBOCO 


57 


lie stalked on, and sat himself upon a stool to the north of 
the great ring looking toward the open space. 

For awhile there was silence ; then from the gates of the 
women’s quarters came a band of maidens arrayed in their 
beaded dancing-dresses, and carrying green branches in their 
hands. As they came, they clapped their hands and sang 
softly : — 

We are the heralds of the king’s feast. Ai ! Ail 
Vultures shall eat it. Ah ! Ah ! 

It is good — it is good to die for the king ! 

They ceased, and ranged themselves in a body behind us. 
Then Chaka held up his hand, and there was a patter of run- 
ning feet. Presently, from behind the royal huts appeared the 
great company of the Abangoma, the witch-doctors — men 
to the right and women to the left. In the left hand of 
each was the tail of a vilderbeeste, in the right a bundle of 
assegais and a little shield. They were awful to see, and 
the bones about them rattled as they ran, the bladders and 
the snake-skins floated in ‘the air behind them, their faces 
shone with the fat of anointing, their eyes started like the 
eyes of flshes, and their lips twitched hungrily as they glared 
round the death-ring. Ha ! ha ! Little did those evil chil- 
dren guess who should be the slayers and who should be 
the slain before that sun sank ! 

On they came, like a grey company of the dead. On they 
came in silence broken only by the patter of their feet and 
the dry rattling of their bony necklets, till they stood in 
long ranks before the Black One. Awhile they stood thus, 
then suddenly every one of them thrust forward the little 
shield in his hand, and with a single voice they cried, “ Hail, 
Father ! ” 

Hail, my children ! ” answered Chaka. 

^^What seekest thou. Father?” they cried again. 

Blood?” 

“ The blood of the guilty,” he answered. 

They turned and spoke each to each ; the company of the 
men spoke to the company of the women. 

The liion of the Zulu seeks blood.” 


58 


JVADA THE LILY 


He shall be fed ! ’’ screamed the women. 

The Lion of the Zulu smells blood.” 

“ He shall see it ! ” screamed the women. 

His eyes search out the wizards.” 

He shall count their dead ! ” screamed the women. 

Peace!” cried Chaka. Waste not the hours in talk, 
but to the work. Hearken ! Wizards have bewitched me ! 
Wizards have dared to smite blood upon the gateways of the 
king. Dig in the burrows of the earth and find them, ye 
rats ! Fly through the paths of the air and find them, ye 
vultures ! Smell at the gates of the people and name them, 
ye jackals ! ye hunters in the night ! Drag them from the 
caves if they be hidden, from the distance if they be fled, 
from the graves if they be dead. To the work ! to the work ! 
Show them to me truly, and your gifts shall be great ; and 
for them, if they be a nation, they shall be slain. Now 
begin. Begin by companies of ten, for you are many, and 
all must be finished ere the sun sink.” 

It shall be finished, Father,” they answered. 

Then ten of the women stood forward, and at their head 
was the most famous witch-doctress of that day — an aged 
woman named Nobela, a woman to whose eyes the darkness 
was no veil, whose scent was keen as a dog’s, who heard the 
voices of the dead as they cried in the night, and spoke truly 
of what she heard. All the other Isanusis, male and female, 
sat down in a half-moon facing the king, but this woman 
drew forward, and with her came nine of her sisterhood. 
They turned east and west, north and south, searching the 
heavens ; they turned east and west, north and south, search- 
ing the earth ; they turned east and west, north and south, 
searching the hearts of men. Then they crept round and 
round the great ring like cats ; then they threw themselves 
upon the earth and smelt it. And all the time there was 
silence, silence deep as midnight, and in it men hearkened 
to the beating of their hearts ; only now and again the vul- 
tures shrieked in the trees. 

At length Nobela spoke : — 

^^Do you smell him, sisters ?” 

We smell him,” they answered. 


THE GREAT INGOMBOCO 


59 


Does he sit in the east, sisters ? ” 

He sits in the east,’’ they answered. 

Is he the son of a stranger, sisters ? ” 

He is the son of a stranger.” 

Then they crept nearer, crept on their hands and knees, 
till they were within ten paces of where I sat among the 
indunas near to the king. The indunas looked on each 
other and grew grey with fear ; and for me, my father, my 
knees were loosened and my marrow turned to water in my 
bones. For I knew well who was that son of a stranger of 
whom they spoke. It was I, my father, I who was about to 
be smelt out ; and if I was smelt out I should be killed with 
all my house, for the king’s oath would scarcely avail me 
against the witch-doctors. I looked at the fierce faces of 
the Isanusis before me, as they crept, crept like snakes. I 
glanced behind and saw the slayers grasping their kerries 
for the deed of death, and I say I felt like one for whom 
the bitterness is overpast. Then I remembered the words 
which the king and I had whispered together of the cause 
for which this /?ipom6oco' was set, and hope crept back to 
me like the first gleam of the dawn upon a stormy night. 
Still I did not hope overmuch, for it well might happen 
that the king had but set a trap to catch me. 

How they were quite near and halted. 

Have we dreamed falsely, sisters ? ” asked Nobela, the 
aged. 

What we dreamed in the night we see in the day,” they 
answered. 

“ Shall I whisper his name in your ears, sisters ? ” 

They lifted their heads from the ground like snakes and 
nodded, and as they nodded the necklets of bones rattled on 
their skinny necks. Then they drew their heads to a circle, 
and Hobela thrust hers into the centre of the circle and said 
a word. 

^^Ha! ha!” they laughed, ^^we hear you! His is the 
name. Let him be named by it in the face of Heaven, him 
and all his house; then let him hear no other name for- 
ever ! ” 

And suddenly they sprang up and rushed towards me, 


6o 


NAD A THE LILY 


Nobela, the aged Isanusi, at their head. They leaped at 
me, pointing to me with the tails of the vilderbeestes in 
their hands. Then Nobela switched me in the face with 
the tail of the beast, and cried aloud : — 

Greeting, Mopo, son of Makedama ! Thou art the man 
who smotest blood on the door-posts of the king to bewitch 
the king. Let thy house be stamped flat ! 

I saw her come, I felt the blow on my face as a man feels 
in a dream. I heard the feet of the slayers as they bounded 
forward to hale me to the dreadful death, but my tongue 
clave to the roof of my mouth— I could not say a word. 
I glanced at the king, and, as I did so, I thought that I 
heard him mutter: ‘‘Near the mark, not in it.” 

Then he held up his spear, and all was silence. The 
slayers stopped in their stride, the witch-doctors stood with 
outstretched arms, the world of men was as though it had 
been frozen into sleep. 

“ Hold ! ” he said. “ Stand aside, son of Makedama, who 
art named an evildoer ! Stand aside, thou, Nobela, and those 
with thee who have named him evildoer ! What ? Shall I 
be satisfied with the life of one dog ? Smell on, ye vultures, 
company by company, smell on ! For the day the labour, at 
night the feast ! ” 

So I rose, astonished, and stood on one side. The witch- 
doctresses also stood on one side, wonderstruck, since no 
such smelling out as this had been seen in the land. For till 
this hour, when a man was swept with the gnu’s tail of the 
Isanusi that was the instant of his death. Why, then, men 
asked in their hearts, was the death delayed ? The witch- 
doctors asked it also, and looked to the king for light, as 
men look to a thunder-cloud for the flash. But from the 
Black One there came no word. 

So we stood on one side, and a second party of the Isanusi 
women began their rites. As the others had done, so they 
did, and yet they worked otherwise, for this is the fashion 
of the Isanusis, that no two of them smell out in the same 
way. And this party swept the faces of certain of the king’s 
councillors, naming them guilty of the witch-work. 

“ Stand ye on one side ! ” said the king to those who had 


THE GREAT INGOMBOCO 


6i 


been smelt out; ^^and ye who have hunted out their wick- 
edness, stand ye with those who named Mopo, son of Make- 
dama. It well may be that all are guilty.” 

So these stood on one side also, and a third party took up 
the tale. And they named certain of the great generals, and 
were in turn bidden to stand on one side together with those 
whom they had named. 

So it went on through all that day. Company by company 
the women doomed their victims, till there were no more left 
of their number, and were commanded to stand aside together 
with those whom they had doomed. Then the male Isanusis 
began, and I could see well that by this time their hearts were 
fearful, for they smelt a snare. Yet the king’s bidding must 
be done, and though their magic failed them here, victims 
must be found. So they smelt out this man and that man 
till we were a great company of the doomed, who sat in 
silence on the ground looking at each other with sad eyes 
and watching the sun, which we deemed our last, climb 
slowly down the sky. And ever as the day waned those 
who were left untried of the witch-doctors grew madder 
and more fierce. They leaped into the air, they ground 
their teeth, and rolled upon the ground. They drew forth 
snakes and devoured them alive, they shrieked out to the 
spirits and called upon the names of ancient kings. 

At length it drew on to evening, and the last company of 
the witch-doctors did their work, smelling out some of the 
keepers of the Emposeni, the house of the women. But 
there was one man of their company, a young man and a 
tall, who held back and took no share in the work, but stood 
by himself in the centre of the great circle, fixing his eyes 
on the heavens. 

- And when this company had been ordered to stand aside 
also together with those whom they had smelt out, the king 
called aloud to the last of the witch-doctors, asking him of 
his name and tribe, and why he alone did not do his office. 

My name is Indabazimbi, the son of Arpi, 0 king,” he 
answered, ^^and I am of the tribe of the Maquilisini. Does 
the king bid me to smell out him of whom the spirits have 
spoken to me as the worker of this deed ? ” 


62 


JVADA THE LILY 


I bid thee,” said the king. 

Then the young man Indabazimbi stepped straight for- 
ward across the ring, making no cries or gestures, but as 
one who walks from his gate to the cattle kraal, and sud- 
denly he struck the king in the face with the tail in his 
hand, saying, “ I smell out the Heavens above me ! ” ^ 

Now a great gasp of wonder went up from the multitude, 
and all looked to see this fool killed by torture. But Chaka 
rose and laughed aloud. 

Thou hast said it,” he cried, and thou alone ! Listen, 
ye people ! I did the deed ! I smote blood upon the gate- 
ways of my kraal ; with my own hand I smote it, that I 
might learn who were the true doctors and who were the 
false ! Now it seems that in the land of the Zulu there is 
one true doctor — this young man — and of the false, look at 
them and count them, they are like the leaves. See ! there 
they stand, and by them stand those whom they have 
doomed — the innocent whom, with their wives and children, 
they have doomed to the death of the dog. Now I ask 
you, my people, what reward shall be given to them ? ” 
Then a great roar went up from all the multitude, Let 
them die, 0 king ! ” 

Ay ! ” he answered. Let them die as liars should ! ” 
Now the Isanusis, men and women, screamed aloud in 
fear, and cried for mercy, tearing themselves with their 
nails, for least of all things did they desire to taste of their 
own medicine of death. But the king only laughed the 
more. 

Hearken ye ! ” he said, pointing to the crowd of us who 
had been smelt out. “Ye were doomed to death by these 
false prophets. Now glut yo.urselves upon them. Slay 
them, my children ! slay them all ! wipe them away ! stamp 
them out ! — all ! all, save this young man ! ” 

Then we bounded from the ground, for our hearts were 
fierce with hate and with longing to avenge the terrors we 
had borne. The doomed slew the doomers, while from the 
circle of the Ingomboco a great roar of laughter went up. 


1 A Zulu title for the king.— Ed. 



‘I smell out the Heavens above me.’ 








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THE GREAT INGOMBOCO 63 

for men rejoiced because the burden of the witch-doctors 
had fallen from them. 

At last it was done, and we drew back ftom the heap of 
the dead. Nothing was heard there now — no more cries or 
prayers or curses. The witch-finders travelled the path on 
which they had set the feet of many. The king drew near 
to look. He came alone, and all who had done his bidding 
bent their heads and crept past him, praising him as they 
went. Only I stood still, covered, as I was with mire and 
filth, for I did not fear to stand in the presence of the king. 
Chaka drew near, and looked at the piled-up heaps of the 
slain and the cloud of dust that yet hung over them. 

There they lie, Mopo,’^ he said. There lie those who 
dared to prophesy falsely to the king ! That was a good 
word of thine, Mopo, which taught me to set the snare for 
them ; yet methought I saw thee start when Nobela, queen 
of the witch-doctresses, switched death on thee. Well, 
they arn dead, and the land breathes more freely ; and for 
the evil which they have done, it is as yonder dust, that 
soon shall sink again to earth and there be lost.’^ 

Thus he spoke, then ceased — for lo ! something moved 
beneath the cloud of dust, something broke a way through 
the heap of the dead. Slowly it forced its path, pushing 
the slain this way and that, till at length it stood upon its 
feet and tottered towards us — a thing dreadful to look on. 
The shape was the shape of an aged woman, and even 
through the blood and mire I knew her. It was Nobela, 
she who had doomed me, she whom but now I had smitten 
to earth, but who had come back from the dead to curse me ! 

On she tottered, her apparel hanging round her in red 
rags, a hundred wounds upon her face and form. I saw that 
she was dying, but life still flickered in her, and the fire of 
hate burned in her snaky eyes. 

“ Hail, king ! she screamed. 

Peace, liar ! ’’ he answered ; thou art dead ! ” 

Not yet, king. I heard thy voice and the voice of yon- 
j der dog, whom I would have given to the jackals, and I 
; will not die till I have spoken. I smelt him out this 
morning when I was alive ; now that I am as one already 


64 


JVADA THE LILY 


dead, I smell him out again. He shall bewitch thee with 
blood indeed, Chaka — he and Unandi, thy mother, and 
Baleka, thy wife. Think of my words when the assegai 
reddens before thee for the last time, king ! Farewell ! 
And she uttered a great cry and rolled upon the ground 
dead. 

“ The witch lies hard and dies hard,’’ said the king care- 
lessly, and turned upon his heel. But those words of dead 
Nobela remained fixed in his memory, or so much of them 
as had been spoken of Unandi and Baleka. There they 
remained like seeds in the earth, there they grew to bring 
forth fruit in their season. 

And thus ended the great Ingomhoco of Chaka, the great- 
est Ingomhoco that ever was held in Zululand. 


CHAPTEB IX. 

THE LOSS OF UMSLOPOGAAS. 

Now, after the smelling out of the witch-doctors, Chaka 
caused a watch to be kept upon his mother Unandi, and 
his wife Baleka, my sister, and report was brought to him 
by those who watched, that the two women came to my 
huts by stealth, and there kissed and nursed a boy — one i 
of my children. Then Chaka remembered the prophecy 
of Nobela, the dead Isanusi, and his heart grew dark with 
doubt. But to me he said nothing of the matter, for then, 
as always, his eyes looked over my head. He did not fear 
me or believe that I plotted against him, I who was his 
dog. Still, he did this, though whether by chance or design 
I do not know : he bade me go on a journey to a distant 
tribe that lived near the borders of the Amaswazi, there to 
take count of certain of the king’s cattle which were in the 
charge of that tribe, and to bring him account of the tale 
of their increase. So I bowed before the king, and said 
that I would run like a dog to do his bidding, and he gave 
me men to go with me. 


THE LOSS OF UMSLOPOGAAS 


65 


Then I returned to my huts to bid farewell to my wives 
and children, and there I found that my wife Anadi, the 
mother of Moosa, my son, had fallen sick with a wandering 
sickness, for strange things came into her mind, and what 
came into her mind that she said, being, as I did not doubt, 
bewitched by some enemy of my house. 

Still, I must go upon the king’s business, and I told this 
to my wife Macropha, the mother of Nada, and, as it was 
thought, of Umslopogaas, the son of Chaka. But when I 
spoke to Macropha of the matter she burst into tears and 
clung to me. I asked her why she wept thus, and she an- 
swered that the shadow of evil lay upon her heart, for she 
was sure that if I left her at the king’s kraal, when I re- 
turned again I should find neither her nor Nada, my child, 
nor Umslopogaas, who was named my son, and whom I 
loved as a son, still in the land of life. Then I tried to 
calm her ; but the more I strove the more she wept, saying 
that she knew well that these things would be so. 

Now I asked her what could be done, for I was stirred 
by her tears, and the dread of evil crept from her to me as 
shadows creep from the valley to the mountain. 

She answered, Take me with you, my husband, that I 
may leave this evil land, where the very skies rain blood, 
and let me rest awhile in the place of my own people till the 
terror of Chaka has gone by.” 

How can I do this ? ” I said. None may leave the 
king’s kraal without the king’s pass.” 

A man may put away his wife,” she replied. The king 
does not stand between a man and his wife. Say, my hus- 
band, that you love me no longer, that I bear you no more 
children, and that therefore you send me back whence I 
came. By-and-bye we will come together again if we are 
left among the living.” 

So be it,” I answered. Leave the kraal with Nada and 
Umslopogaas this night, and to-morrow morning meet me 
at the river bank, and we will go on together, and for the 
rest may the spirits of our fathers hold us safe.” 

So we kissed each other, and Macropha went on secretly 
with the children. 

F 


< 


66 


JVADA THE ULY 


Now at the dawning on the morrow I summoned tne men 
whom the king had given me, and we started upon our jour- 
ney. When the sun was well up we came to the banks of 
the river, and there I found my wife Macropha, and with 
her the two children. They rose as I came, but I frowned 
at my wife and she gave me no greeting. Those with me 
looked at her askance. 

“ I have divorced this woman,” I said to them. She 
is a withered tree, a worn out old hag, and now I take her 
with me to send her to the country of the Swazis, whence 
she came.” Cease your weeping,” I added to Macropha, 
‘‘ it is my last word.” 

“What says the king ? ” asked the men. 

“ I will answer to the king,” I said. And we went on. 

Now I must tell how we lost Umslopogaas, the son of 
Chaka, who was then a great lad drawing on to manhood, 
fierce in temper, well grown and broad for his years. 

We had journeyed seven days, for the way was long, and 
on the night of the seventh day we came to a mountainous 
country in which there were few kraals, for Chaka had eaten 
them all up years before. Perhaps you know the place, my 
father. In it is a great and strange mountain. It is haunted 
also, and named the Ghost Mountain, and on the top of it is 
a grey peak rudely shaped like the head of an aged woman. 
Here in this wild place we must sleep, for darkness drew 
on. Now we soon learned that there were many lions in 
the rocks around, for we heard their roaring and were much 
afraid, all except Umslopogaas, who feared nothing. So we 
made a circle of thorn-bushes and sat in it, holding our 
assegais ready. Presently the moon came up — it was a full- 
grown moon and very bright, so bright that we could see 
everything for a long way round. Now some six spear- 
throws from where we sat was a cliff, and at the top of the 
cliff was a cave, and in this cave lived two lions and their 
young. When the moon grew bright we saw the lions come 
out and stand upon the edge of the cliff, and with them 
were two little ones that played about like kittens, so that 
had we not been frightened it would have been beautiful to 
see them. 


THE LOSS OF UMSLOPOGAAS 67 

Umslopogaas/^ said Nada, I wish that I had one 
of the little lions for a dog.’^ 

The boy laughed, saying, Then, shall I fetch you one, 
sister ? ” 

“ Peace, boy,^^ I said. Ko man may take young lions 
from their lair and live.” 

“ Such things have been done, my father,” he answered, 
laughing. And no more was said of the matter. 

Now when the lions had played awhile, we saw the lioness 
take up the cubs in her mouth and carry them into the cave. 
Then she came out again, and went away with her mate to 
seek food, and soon we heard them roaring in the distance. 
Now we stacked up the fire and went to sleep in our en- 
closure of thorns without fear, for we knew that the lions 
were far away eating game. But Umslopogaas did not sleep, 
for he had determined that he would fetch the cub which 
Nada had desired, and, being young and foolhardy, he 
did not think of the danger which he would bring upon 
himself and all of us. He knew no fear, and now, as ever, 
if Nada spoke a word, nay, even if she thought of a thing 
to desire it, he would not rest till it was won for her. So 
while we slept Umslopogaas crept like a snake from the 
fence of thorns, and, taking an assegai in his hand, he slipped 
away to the foot of the cliff where the lions had their den. 
Then he climbed the cliff, and, coming to the cave, entered 
there and groped his way unto it. The cubs heard him, and, 
thinking that it was their mother who returned, began to 
whine and purr for food. Guided by the light of their 
yellow eyes, he crept over the bones, of which there were 
many in the cave, and came to where they lay. Then he 
put out his hands and seized one of the cubs, killing the 
other with his assegai, because he could not carry both of 
them. Now he made haste thence before the lions returned, 
and came back to the thorn fence where we lay just as the 
dawn was breaking. 

I awoke at the coming of the dawn, and, standing up, I 
looked out. Lo! there, on the farther side of the thorn 
fence, looking large in the grey mist, stood the lad Umslopo- 
gaas, laughing. In his teeth he held the assegai, yet drip- 

F 2 


68 


NAD A THE LILY 


ping with, blood, and in his hands the lion cub that, 
despite its whines and struggles, he grasped by the skin 
of the neck and the hind legs. 

Awake, my sister!’’ he cried; ^‘here is the dog you 
seek. Ah ! he bites now, but he will soon grow tame.” 

Nada awoke, and rising, cried out with joy at the sight of 
the cub, but for a moment I stood astonished. 

“ Fool I ” I cried at last, “ let the cub go before the lions 
come to rend us ! ” 

I will not let it go, my father,” he answered sullenly. 
“Are there not five of us with spears, and can we not fight 
two cats? I was not afraid to go alone into their den. 
Are you all afraid to meet them in the open ? ” 

“You are mad,” I said; “let the cub go!” And I ran 
towards Umslopogaas to take it from him. But he sprang 
aside and avoided me. 

“ I will never let that go of which I have got hold,” he 
said, “at least not living ! ” And suddenly he seized the head 
of the cub and twisted’ its neck ; then threw it on to the 
ground, and added, “ See, now I have done your bidding, 
my father ! ” 

As he spoke we heard a great sound of roaring from the 
cave in the cliff. The lions had returned and found one cub 
dead and the other gone. 

“ Into the fence ! — back into the fence ! ” I cried, and we 
sprang over the thorn-bushes where those with us were 
making ready their spears, trembling as they handled them 
with fear and the cold of the morning. We looked up. 
There, down the side of the cliff, came the lions, bounding 
on the scent of him who had robbed them of their young. 
The lion ran first, and as he came he roared; then foL 
lowed the lioness, but she did not roar, for in her mouth 
was the cub that Umslopogaas had assegaied in the cave. 
Now they drew near, mad with fury, their manes bristling, 
and lashing their fianks with their long tails. 

“ Curse you for a fool, son of Mopo,” said one of the men 
with me to Umslopogaas ; “ presently I will beat you till the 
blood comes for this trick.” 

“First beat the lions, then beat me if you can,” an- 


THE LOSS OF UMSLOPOGAAS 


69 

swered the lad, ^^and wait to curse till you have done 
both/^ 

Now the lions were close to us ; they came to the body 
of the second cub, that lay outside the fence of thorns. 
The lion stopped and sniifed it. Then he roared— ah ! he 
roared till the earth shook. As for the lioness, she dropped 
the dead cub which she was carrying, and took the other 
into her mouth, for she could not carry both. 

^ ‘‘Get behind me, Nada,’’ cried Umslopogaas, brandishing 
his spear, the lion is about to spring.’’ 

As the words left his mouth the great brute crouched to 
the ground. Then suddenly he sprang from it like a bird, 
and like a bird he travelled through the air towards us. 

‘‘Catch him on the ’spears!” cried Umslopogaas, and by 
nature, as it were, we did the boy’s bidding; for huddling 
ourselves together, we held out the assegais so that the lion 
fell upon them as he sprang, and their blades sank far into 
him. But the weight of his charge carried us to the ground, 
and he fell on to us, striking at us and at the spears, and 
roaring with pain and fury as he struck. Presently he was 
on his legs biting at the spears in his breast. Then Umslo- 
pogaas, who alone did not wait his onslaught, but had 
stepped aside for his own ends, uttered a loud cry and drove 
his assegai into the lion behind the shoulder, so that with a 
groan the brute rolled over dead. 

Meanwhile, the lioness stood without the fence, the second 
dead cub in her mouth, for she could not bring herself to 
leave either of them. But when she heard her mate’s last 
groan she dropped the cub and gathered herself together 
to spring. Umslopogaas alone stood up to face her, for he 
only had withdrawn his assegai from the carcase of the 
lion. She swept on towards the lad, who stood like a stone 
to meet her. Now she met his spear, it sunk in, it snapped, 
and down fell Umslopogaas dead or senseless beneath the 
mass of the lioness. She sprang up, the broken spear 
standing in her breast, sniffed at Umslopogaas, then, as 
though she knew that it was he who had robbed her, she 
seized him by the loins and moocha, and sprang with him 
over the fence. 


70 


NAD A THE LILY 


Oh, save him ! cried the girl Kada in bitter woe. And 
we rushed after the lioness shouting. 

Eor a moment she stood over her dead cubs, Umslopogaas 
hanging from her mouth, and looked at them as though she 
wondered; and we hoped that she might let him fall. 
Then, hearing our cries, she turned and bounded away 
towards the bush, bearing Umslopogaas in her mouth. We 
seized our spears and followed ; but soon the ground grew 
stony, and, search as we would, we could find no trace of 
Umslopogaas or of the lioness. They had vanished like a 
cloud. So we came back, and, ah ! my heart was sore, for 
I loved the lad as though he had indeed been my son. But 
I knew that he was dead, and there was an end. 

Where is my brother cried Uada when we came 
back. 

^^Lost,’’ I answered. ‘^Lost, never to be found again.^’ 

Then the girl gave a great and bitter cry, and fell to the 
earth saying, I would that I were dead with my brother ! 

Let us be going,” said Macropha, my wife. 

^^Have you no tears to weep for your son ? ” asked a man 
of our company. 

What is the use of weeping over the dead? Does it, 
then, bring them back?” she answered. ^^Let us be 
going ! ” 

The man thought these words strange, but he did not 
know that Umslopogaas was not born of Macropha. 

Still, we waited in that place a day, thinking that, per- 
haps, the lioness would return to her den and that, at least, 
we might kill her. But she came back no more. So on 
the next morning we rolled up our blankets and started 
forward on our journey, sad at heart. In truth, Nada was 
so weak from grief that she could hardly travel, but I never 
heard the name of Umslopogaas pass her lips again during 
that journey. She buried him in her heart and said nothing. 
And I too said nothing, but I wondered why it had been 
brought about that I should save the life of Umslopogaas 
from the jaws of the Lion of Zulu, that the lioness of the 
rocks might devour him. 

And so the time went on till we reached the kraal where 


THE LOSS OF UMSLOPOGAAS 


71 


the king’s business must be done, and where I and my wife 
should part. 

On the morning after we came to the kraal, having kissed 
in secret, though in public we looked sullenly on one another, 
we parted as those part who meet no more, for it was in 
our thoughts, that we should never see each other’s face 
again, nor, indeed, did we do so. And I drew Nada aside 
and spoke to her thus : We part, my daughter ; nor do I 
know when we shall meet again, for the times are troubled 
and it is for your safety and that of your mother that I rob 
my eyes of the sight of you. Nada, you will soon be a 
woman, and you will be fairer than any woman among our 
people, and it may come about that many great men will 
seek you in marriage, and, perhaps, that I, your father, 
shall not be there to choose for you whom you shall wed, 
according to the custom of our land. But I charge you, 
so far as may be possible for you to do so, take only a 
man whom you can love, and be faithful to him alone, for 
thus shall a woman find happiness.” 

Here I stopped, for the girl took hold of my hand and 
looked into my face. Peace, my father,” she said, do not 
speak to me of marriage, for I will wed no man, now that 
Umslopogaas is dead because of my foolishness. I will live 
and die alone, and, oh ! may I die quickly, that I may go to 
seek him whom I love only ! ” 

“Nay, Nada,” I said, “Umslopogaas was your brother, 
and it is not fitting that you should speak of him thus, even 
though he is dead.” 

“ I know nothing of such matters, my father,” she said. 
“ I speak what my heart tells me, and it tells me that I 
loved Umslopogaas living, and, though he is dead, I shall 
love him alone to the end. Ah ! you think me but a child, 
yet my heart is large, and it does not lie to me.” 

Now I upbraided the girl no more, because I knew that 
Umslopogaas was not her brother, but one whom she might 
have married. Only I marvelled that the voice of nature 
should speak so truly in her, telling her that which was 
lawful, even when it seemed to be most unlawful. 

“Speak no more of Umslopogaas,” I said, “ for surely he is 


72 


JVADA THE LILY 


dead, and though you cannot forget him, yet speak of him 
no more, and I pray of you, my daughter, that if we do 
not meet again, yet you should keep me in your memory, 
and the love I bear you, and the words which from time I 
have said to you. The world is a thorny wilderness, my 
daughter, and its thorns are watered with a rain of blood, 
and we wander in our wretchedness like lost travellers in a 
mist ; nor do I know why our feet are set upon this wander- 
ing. But at last there comes an end, and we die and go 
hence, none know where, but perhaps where we go the evil 
may change to the good, and those who were dear to each 
other on the earth may become yet dearer in the heavens ; 
for I believe that man is not born to perish altogether, 
but is rather gathered again to the Umkulunkulu who sent 
him on his journeyings. Therefore keep hope, my daughter, 
for if these things are not so, at least sleep remains, and 
sleep is soft, and so farewell.” 

Then we kissed and parted, and I watched Macropha, my 
wife, and Nada, my daughter, till they melted into the sky, 
as they walked upon their journey to Swaziland, and was 
very sad, because, having lost Umslopogaas, he who in after 
days was named the Slaughterer and the Woodpecker, I 
must lose them also. 


CHAPTER X. 

THE TRIAL OF MOPO. 

Now I sat four days in the huts of the tribe whither I 
had been sent, and did the king’s business. And on the 
fifth morning I rose up, together with those with me, and 
we turned our faces towards the king’s kraal. But when 
we had journeyed a little way we met a party of soldiers, 
who commanded us to stand. 

“What is it, king’s men ? ” T asked boldly. 

“This, son of Makedama,” answered their spokesman: 
“give over to us your wife Macropha and your children 



‘ Aud so farewell.’ 







THE TRIAL OF MOPO 


7j 

Umslopogaas and Nada, that we may do with them as the 
king commands.”, 

“Umslopogaas,” I answered, “has gone where the king’s 
arm cannot stretch, for he is dead; and for my wife 
Macropha and iny daughter ISTada, they are by now in the 
caves of the Swazis, and the king must seek them there 
with an army if he will find them. To Macropha he is wel- 
come, for I hate her, and have divorced her ; and as for the 
girl, well, there are many girls, and it is no great matter if 
she lives or dies, yet I pray him to spare her.” 

Thus I spoke carelessly, for I knew well that my wife 
and child were beyond the reach of Chaka. 

“You do well to ask the girl’s life,” said the soldier, 
laughing, “ for all those born to you are dead, by order of 
the king.” 

“ Is it indeed so ? ” I answered calmly, though my knees 
shook and my tongue clove to my lips. “The will of the 
king be done. A cut stick puts out new leaves ; I can have 
more children.” 

“ Ay, Mopo but first you must get new wives, for yours 
are dead also, all five of them.” 

“Is it indeed so?” I answered. “The king’s will be 
done. I wearied of those brawling women.” 

“So, Mopo,” said the soldier; “but to get other wives 
and have more children born to you, you must live yourself, 
for no children are born to the dead, and I think that Chaka 
has an assegai which you shall kiss.” 

“Is it so?” I answered. “The king’s will be done. 
The sun is hot, and I tire of the road. He who kisses the 
assegai sleeps sound.” 

Thus I spoke, my father, and, indeed, in that hour I 
desired to die. The world was empty for me. Macropha 
and Hada were gone, Umslopogaas was dead, and my other 
wives and children were murdered. I had no heart to begin 
to build up a new house, none were left for me to love, and 
it seemed well that I should die also. 

The soldiers asked those with me if that tale was true 
which I told of the death of Umslopogaas and of the going 
of Macropha and Kada into Swaziland. They said. Yes, it 


74 


NAD A THE LILY 


was true. Then the' soldiers said that they would lead me 
back to the king, and I wondered at this, for I thought that 
they would kill me where I stood. So we went on, and 
piece by piece I learned what had happened at the king’s 
kraal. 

On the day after I left, it came to the ears of Chaka, by 
the mouth of his spies, that my second wife — Anadi — was 
sick and spoke strange words in her sickness. Then, taking 
three soldiers with him, he went to my kraal at the death 
of the day. He left the three soldiers by the gates of the 
kraal, bidding theiUidp suffer none to come in or go out, but 
Chaka himself entered the large hut where Anadi lay sick, 
having his toy assegai, with the shaft of the royal red wood, 
in his hand. Now, as it chanced, in the hut were Unandi, the 
mother^f Chaka, and Baleka, my sister, the wife of Chaka, 
for, not knowing that I had taken away Umslopogaas, the 
son of Baleka, according to their custom, these two foolish 
women had come to kiss and fondle the lad. But when they 
entered the hut they found it full of my other wives and 
children. These they sent away, all except Moosa, the son 
of Anadi, who lay sick — that boy who was born eight days 
before Umslopogaas, the son of Chaka. But they kept 
Moosa in the hut, and kissed him, giving him imphi ^ to eat, 
fearing lest it should seem strange to the women, my wives, 
if, Umslopogaas being gone, they refused to take notice of 
any other child. 

Now as they sat thus, presently the doorway was dark- 
ened, and, behold ! the king himself crept through it, and 
saw them fondling the child Moosa. When they knew who 
it was that entered, the women flung themselves upon the 
ground before him and praised him. But he smiled grimly, 
and bade them be seated. Then he spoke to them, saying, 
‘^You wonder, Unandi, my mother, and Baleka, my wife, 
why it is that I am come here into the hut of Mopo, son of 
Makedama. I will tell you : it is because he is away upon 
my business, and I hear that his wife Anadi is sick — it is 
she who lies there, is it not ? Therefore, as the first doc- 


1 A variety of sugar-cane.— E d. 


THE TRIAL OF MOPO 


75 


tor in the land, I am come to cure her, Unandi, my mother, 
and Baleka, my sister.’’ 

Thus he spoke, eying them as he did so, and taking 
snuff from the blade of his little assegai, and though his 
words were gentle they shook with fear, for when Chaka 
spoke thus gently he meant death to many. But Unandi, 
Mother of the Heavens, answered, saying that it was well 
that the king had come, since his medicine would bring rest 
and peace to her who lay sick. 

“ Yes,” he answered ; it is well. It is pleasant, more- 
over, my mother and my sister, to see you kissing yonder 
child. Surely, were he of your own blood you could not 
love him more.” 

Now they trembled again, and prayed in their hearts 
that Anadi, the sick woman, who lay asleep, might not 
wake and utter foolish words in her wandering. But the 
prayer was answered from below and not from above, for 
Anadi woke, and, hearing the voice of the king, her sick 
mind flew to him whom she believed to be the king’s child. 

Ah ! ” she said, sitting upon the ground and pointing to 
her own son Moosa, who squatted frightened against the 
wall of the hut. Kiss him. Mother of the Heavens, kiss 
him ! Whom do they call him, the young cub who brings 
ill-fortune to our doors ? They call him the son of Mopo 
and Macropha !” And she laughed wildly, stopped speaking, 
and sank back upon the bed of skins. 

They call him the son of Mopo and Macropha,” said the 
king in a low voice. Whose son is he, then, woman ? ” 

Oh, ask her not, 0 king,” cried his mother and his wife, 
casting themselves upon the ground before him, for they 
were mad with fear. ^^Ask her not; she has strange 
fancies such as are not meet for your ears to hear. She is 
bewitched, and has dreams and fancies.” 

Peace ! ” he answered. I will listen to this woman’s 
wanderings. Perhaps some star of truth shines in her 
darkness, and I would see light. Who, then, is he, 
woman ? ” 

Who is he ? ” she answered. Are you a fool that ask 
who he is ? He is — hush ! — put your ear close — let me 


76 


^rADA THE LILY 


speak low lest the reeds of the hut whisper it to the king. 
He is — do you listen ? He is — the son of Chaka and 
Baleka, the sister of Mopo, the changeling whom Unandi, 
Mother of the Heavens, palmed off upon this house to 
bring a curse on it, and whom she would lead out before the 
people when the land is weary of the wickedness of the 
king, her son, to take the place of the king.’’ 

It is false, 0 king ! ” cried the two women. Do not 
listen to her ; it is false. The boy is her own son, Moosa, 
whom she does not know in her sickness.” 

But Chaka stood up in the hut and laughed terribly. 
‘‘ Truly, Nobela prophesied well,” he cried, and I did ill to 
slay her. So this is the trick thou hast played upon me, my 
mother. Thou wouldst give a son to me who will have no 
son : thou wouldst give me a son to kill me. Good ! Mother 
of the Heavens, take thou the doom of the Heavens ! Thou 
wouldst give me a son to slay me and rule in my place ; 
now, in turn, I, thy son, will rob me of a mother. Die, 
Unandi ! — die at the hand thou didst bring forth ! ” And 
he lifted the little assegai and smote it through her. 

For a moment Unandi, Mother of the Heavens, wife of 
Senzangacona, stood uttering no cry. Then she put up her 
hand, and drew the assegai from her side. 

“ So shalt thou die also, Chaka the Evil ! ” she cried, and 
fell down dead there in the hut. 

Thus, then, did Chaka murder his mother Unandi. 

How when Baleka saw what had been done, she turned 
and fled from the hut to the Emposeni, and so swiftly that 
the guards at the gates could not stop her. But when she 
reached her own hut Baleka’s strength failed her, and she 
fell senseless on the ground. But the boy Moosa, my son, 
being overcome with terror, stayed where he was, and 
Chaka, believing him to be his son, murdered him also, 
and with his own hand. 

Then he stalked out of the hut, and, leaving the three 
guards at the gate, commanded a company of soldiers to 
surround the kraal and fire it. This they did, and as the 
people rushed out they killed them, and those who did not 
run out were burned in the fire. Thus, then, perished all 


THE TRIAL OF MOPO 


77 


my wives, my children, my servants, and those who were 
within the gates in their company. The tree was burned, 
and the bees in it, and I alone was left living — I and 
Macropha and Nada, who were far away. 

Nor was Chaka yet satisfied with blood, for, as has been 
told, he sent messengers bidding them kill Macropha, my 
wife, and Nada, my daughter, and him who was named my 
son. But he commanded the messengers that they should 
not slay me, but bring me living before him. 

Now when the soldiers did not kill me I took counsel 
with myself, for it was my belief that I was saved alive 
only that I might die later, and in a more cruel fashion. 
Therefore for awhile I thought that it would be well if I did 
that for myself which another purposed to do for me. Why 
should I, who was already doomed, wait to meet my doom ? 
What had I left to keep me in the place of life, seeing 
that all whom I loved were dead or gone ? To die would be 
easy, for I knew the ways of death. In my girdle I carried 
a secret medicine ; he who eats of it, my father, will see the 
sun’s shadow move no more, and will never look upon the 
stars again. But I was not minded to know the assegai or 
the kerrie; nor would I perish more slowly beneath the 
knives of the tormentors, nor be parched by the pangs of 
thirst, or wander eyeless to my end. Therefore it was that, 
since I had sat in the doom ring looking hour after hour 
into the face of death, I had borne this medicine with me by 
night and by day. Surely now was the time to use it. 

So I thought as I sat through the watches of the night, 
ay ! and drew out the bitter drug and laid it on my tongue. 
But as I did so I remembered my daughter Nada, who was 
left to me, though she sojourned in a far country, and my 
wife Macropha and my sister Baleka, who still lived, so 
said the soldiers, though how it came about that the king 
had not killed her I did not know then. Also another 
thought was born in my heart. While life remained to me, I 
might be revenged upon him who had wrought me this woe ; 
but can the dead strike ? Alas ! the dead are strengthless, 
and if they still have hearts to suffer, they have no hands to 
give back blow for blow. Nay, I would live on. Time to 


78 


A'ADA THE LILY 


die when death could no more be put away. Time to die 
when the voice of Chaka spoke my doom. Death chooses 
for himself and answers no questions ; he is a guest to whom 
none need open the door of his hut, for when he wills he 
can pass the thatch like the air. Not yet would I taste of 
that medicine of mine. 

So I lived on, my father, and the soldiers led me back to 
the kraal of Chaka. Now when we came to the kraal it 
was night, for the sun had sunk as we passed through the 
gates. Still, as he had been commanded, the captain of 
those who watched me went in before the king and told him 
that I lay without in bonds. And the king said, ^^Let him 
be brought before me, who was my physician, that I may 
tell him how I have doctored those of his house.’’ 

So they took me and led me to the royal house, and pushed 
me through the doorway of the great hut. 

Now a fire burned in the hut, for the night was cold, and • 
Chaka sat on the further side of the fire, looking towards 
the opening of the hut, and the smoke from the fire wreathed 
him round, and its light shone upon his face and flickered 
in his terrible eyes. 

At the door of the hut certain of the councillors seized 
me by the arms and dragged me towards the fire. But I 
broke from them, and prostrating myself, for my arms were 
free, I praised the king and called him by his royal names. 
The councillors sprang towards me to seize me again, but 
Chaka said, ^^Let him be; I would talk with my servant.” 
Then the councillors bowed themselves on either side, and 
laid their hands on their sticks, their foreheads touching the 
ground. But I sat down on the floor of the hut over against 
the king, and we talked through the fire. 

^‘Tell me of the cattle that I sent thee to number, Mopo, 
son of Makedama,” said Chaka. ^‘Have my servants dealt 
honestly with my cattle ? ” 

“They have dealt honestly, 0 king,” I answered. 

“ Tell me, then, of the number of the cattle and of their 
markings, Mopo, forgetting none.” 

So I sat and told him, ox by ox, cow by cow, and heifer by 
heifer, forgetting none ; and Chaka listened silently as one 


THE TRIAL OF MOPO 


79 


who is asleep. But I knew that he did not sleep, for all 
the while the firelight flickered in his fierce eyes. Also 
I knew that he did but torment me, or that, perhaps, he 
would learn of the cattle before he killed me. At length all 
the tale was told. 

‘‘So,” said the king, “it goes well. There are yet 
honest men left in the land. Knowest thou, Mopo, that 
sorrow has come upon thy house while thou wast about my 
business ? ” 

“I have heard it, 0 king ! ” I answered, as one who 
speaks of a small matter. 

“Yes, Mopo, sorrow has come upon thy house, the curse 
of Heaven has fallen upon thy kraal. They tell me, Mopo, 
that the fire from above ran briskly through thy huts.” 

“ I have heard it, 0 king ! ” 

“ They tell me, Mopo, that those within thy gates grew 
mad at the sight of the fire, and dreaming there was no 
escape, that they stabbed themselves with assegais or 
leaped into the flames.” 

“ I have heard it, 0 king ! What of it ? Any river is 
deep enough to drown a fool ! ” 

“ Thou hast heard these things, Mopo, but thou hast not 
yet heard all. Knowest thou, Mopo, that among those who 
died in thy kraal was she who bore me, she who was named 
Mother of the Heavens ? ” 

Then, my father, I, Mopo, acted wisely, because of the 
thought which my good spirit gave me, for I cast myself 
upon the ground, and wailed aloud as though in utter grief. 

“ Spare my ears. Black One ! ” I wailed. “ Tell me not 
that she who bore thee is dead, 0 Lion of the Zulu. For 
the others, what is it ? It is a breath of wind, it is a drop 
of water ; but this trouble is as the gale or as the sea.” 

“ Cease, my servant, cease ! ” said the mocking voice of 
Chaka; “but know this, thou hast done well to grieve 
aloud because the Mother of the Heavens is no more, and 
ill wouldst thou have done to grieve because the fire from 
above has kissed thy gates. For hadst thou done this last 
thing or left the first undone, I should have known that 
thy heart was wicked, and by now thou wouldst have wept 


8o 


JVADA THE LILY 


indeed — tears of blood, Mopo. It is well for thee, then, 
that thou hast read my riddle aright/^ 

Now I saw the depth of the pit that Chaka had dug 
for me, and blessed my Elilos^ who had put into my heart 
those words which I should answer. I hoped also that 
Chaka would now let me go; but it was not to be, for 
this was but the beginning of my trial. 

“Knowest thou, Mopo,” said the king, ^^that as my 
mother died yonder in the flames of thy kraal she cried out 
strange and terrible words which came to my ears through 
the singing of the fire. These were her words : that thou, 
Mopo, and thy sister Baleka, and thy wives, had conspired 
together to give a child to me who would be childless. 
These were her words, the words that came to me through 
the singing of the fire. Tell me now, Mopo, where are 
those children that thou leddest from thy kraal, the boy 
with the lion eyes who is named Umslopogaas, and the 
girl who is named Nada ? ” 

^‘Umslopogaas is dead by the lion’s mouth, 0 king!” 
I answered, “and Nada sits in the Swazi caves.” And I 
told him of the death of Umslopogaas and of how I had 
divorced Macropha, my wife. 

“ The boy with the lion eyes to the lion’s mouth !” said 
Chaka. “Enough of him; he is gone. Nada may yet be 
sought for with the assegai in the Swazi caves ; enough of 
her. Let us speak of this song that my mother — who, alas ! 
is dead, Mopo — this song she sang through the singing of 
the flames. Tell me, Mopo, tell me now, was it a true 
tale ? ” 

“Nay, 0 king! surely the Mother of the Heavens was 
maddened by the Heavens when she sang that song,” I 
answered. “I know nothing of it, 0 king.” 

“Thou knowest naught of it, Mopo?” said the king. 
And again he looked at me terribly through the reek of the 
fire. “ Thou knowest naught of it, Mopo ? Surely thou 
art a-cold; thy hands shake with cold. Nay, man, fear 
not— warm them, warm them, Mopo. See, now, plunge that 
hand of thine into the heart of the flame ! ” And he pointed 
with his little assegai, the assegai handled with the royal 


THE TRIAL OF MOPO 


8i 


wood, to where the fire glowed reddest — ay, he pointed 
and laughed. 

Then, my father, I grew cold indeed — yes, I grew cold 
who soon should be hot, for I saw the purpose of Chaka. 
He would put me to the trial by fire. 

For a moment I sat silent, thinking. Then the king 
spoke again in a great voice : “Nay, Mopo, be not so back- 
ward ; shall I sit warm and see thee suffer cold ? What, 
my councillors, rise, take the hand of Mopo, and hold it to 
the flame, that his heart may rejoice in the warmth of the 
flame while we speak together of this matter of the child 
that was, so my mother sang, born to Baleka, my wife, the 
sister of Mopo, my servant.’’ 

“ There is little need for that, 0 king,” I answered, being 
made bold by fear, for I saw that if I did nothing death 
would swiftly end iry doubts. Once, indeed, I bethought 
me of the poison that I bore, and was minded to swallow it 
and make an end, but the desire to live is great, and keen is 
the thirst for vengeance, so I said to my heart, “ Not yet 
awhile ; I will endure this also ; afterwards, if need be, I 
can die.” 

“ I thank the king for his graciousness, and I will warm 
me at the fire. Speak on, O king, while I warm myself, 
and thou shalt hear true words,” I said boldly. 

Then, my father, I stretched out my left hand and plunged 
it into the fire— not into the hottest of the fire, but where 
the smoke leapt from the flame. Now my flesh was wet 
with the sweat of fear, and for a little moment the flames 
curled round it and did not burn me. But I knew that the 
torment was to come. 

For a short while Chaka watched me, smiling. Then he 
spoke slowly, that the fire might find time to do its work. 

“ Say, then, Mopo, thou knowest nothing of this matter 
of the birth of a son to thy sister Baleka ? ” 

“I know this only, 0 king!” I answered, “that a son 
was born in past years to thy wife Baleka, that I killed the 
child in obedience to thy word, and laid its body before 
thee.” 

Now, my father, the steam from my flesh had been drawn 

G 


82 


JVADA THE LILY 


from my hand by the heat, and the flame got hold of me 
and ate into my flesh, and its torment was great. But of 
this I showed no sign upon my face, for I knew well that if 
I showed sign or uttered cry, then, having failed in the trial, 
death would be my portion. 

Then the king spoke again, ^^Dost thou swear by my 
head, Mopo, that no son of mine was suckled in thy 
kraals ? ” 

I swear it, 0 king ! I swear it by thy head,” I answered. 

And now, my father, the agony of the Are was such as 
may not be told. I felt my eyes start forward in their sock- 
ets, my blood seemed to boil within me, it rushed into my 
head, and down my face there ran two tears of blood. But 
yet I held my hand in the Are and made no sign, while the 
king and his councillors watched me curiously. Still, for a 
moment Chaka said nothing, and that moment seemed to 
me as all the years of my life. 

“ Ah ! ” he said at length, I see that thou growest warm, 
Mopo ! Withdraw thy hand from the flame. I am answered ; 
thou hast passed the trial ; thy heart is clean ; for had there 
been lies in it the Are had given them tongue, and thou 
hadst cried aloud, making thy last music, Mopo ! ” 

Now I took my hand from the flame, and for awhile the 
torment left me. 

‘‘It is well, 0 king ! ” I said calmly. “ Fire has no power 
of hurt on those whose heart is pure.” 

But as I spoke I looked at my left hand. It was black, 
my father — black as a charred stick, and the nails were gone 
from the twisted Angers. Look at it now, my father ; you 
can see, though my eyes are blind. The hand is white, like 
yours — it is white and dead and shrivelled. These are the 
marks of the Are in Chaka’s hut — the fire that kissed me 
many, many years ago ; { have had but little use of that 
hand since this night of torment. But my right arm yet 
remained to me, my father, and, ah ! I used it. 

“ It seems that Nobelti the doctress, who is dead, lied 
when she prophesied evii on me from thee, Mopo,” said 
Chaka again. “It seema that thou art innocent of this 
offence, and that Baleka;, thy sister, is innocent, and that 



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THE COUNSEL OF BALEKA 


83 


the song which the Mother of the Heavens sang through 
the singing flames was no true song. It is well for thee, 
Mopo, for in such a matter my oath had not helped thee. 
But my mother is dead — dead in the flames with thy wives 
and children, Mopo, and in this there is witchcraft. We 
will have a mourning, Mopo, thou and I, such a mourning 
as has not been seen in Zululand, for all the people on the 
earth shall weep at it. And there shall be a ‘ smelling out ’ 
at this mourning, Mopo. But we will summon no witch- 
doctors, thou and I will be witch-doctors, and ourselves shall 
smell out those who have brought these woes upon us. What ! 
shall my mother die unavenged, she who bore me and has 
perished by witchcraft, and shall thy wives and children die 
unavenged — thou being innocent ? Go forth, Mopo, my 
faithful servant, whom I have honoured with the warmth 
of my fire, go forth ! ’’ And once again he stared at me through 
the reek of the flame, and pointed with his assegai to the 
door of the hut. 


CHAPTER XI. 

THE COUNSEL OF BALEKA. 

I ROSE, I praised the king with a loud voice, and I 
went from the IntunTculu, the house of the king. I walked 
slowly through the gates, but when I was without the gates 
the anguish that took me because of my burnt hand was 
more than I could bear. I ran to and fro groaning till I 
came to the hut of one whom I knew. There I found fat, 
and having plunged my hand in the fat, I wrapped it 
round with a skin and passed out again, for I could not 
stay still. I went to and fro, till at length I reached the 
spot where my huts had been. The outer fence of the huts 
still stood; the fire had not caught it. I passed through the 
fence; there within were the ashes of the burnt huts — they 
lay ankle-deep. I walked in among the ashes; my feet 
struck upon things that were sharp. The moon was 
bright, and I looked ; they were the blackened bones of my 

G 2 


84 


JVAVA THE LILY 


wives and children. I flung myself down in the ashes in 
bitterness of heart; I covered myself over with the ashes 
of my kraal and with the bones of my wives and children. 
Yes, my father, there I lay, and on me were the ashes, and 
among the ashes were the bones. Thus, then, did I lie for 
the last time in my kraal, and was sheltered from the frost 
of the night by the dust of those to whom I had given life. 
Such were the things that befell us in the days of Chaka, 
my father ; yes, not to me alone, but to many another also. 

I lay among the ashes and groaned with the pain of my burn, 
and groaned also from the desolation of my heart. Why 
had I not tasted the poison, there in the hut of Chaka, and 
before the eyes of Chaka? Why did I not taste it now 
and make an end ? Nay, I had endured the agony ; I would 
not give him this last triumph over me. Now, having passed 
the fire, once more I should be great in the land, and I would 
become great. Yes, I would bear my sorrows, and become 
great, that in a day to be I might wreak vengeance on the king. 
Ah ! my father, there, as I rolled among the ashes, I prayed 
to the Amatongo, to the ghosts of my ancestors. I prayed to 
my Ehlos4, to the spirit that watches me — ay, and I even 
dared to pray to the Umkulunkulu, the great soul of the 
world, who moves through the heavens and the earth unseen 
and unheard. And thus I prayed, that I might yet live to 
kill Chaka as he had killed those who were dear to me. 
And while I prayed I slept, or, if I did not sleep, the light 
of thought went out of me, and I became as one dead. 
Then there came a vision to me, a vision that was sent in 
answer to my prayer, or, perchance, it was a madness born 
of my sorrows. For, my father, it seemed to me that I 
stood upon the bank of a great and wide river. It was 
gloomy there, the light lay low upon the face of the river, 
but far away on the farther side was a glow like the glow of 
a stormy dawn, and in the glow I saw a mighty bed of reeds 
that swayed about in the breath of the dawn, and out of the 
reeds came men and women and children, by hundreds and 
thousands and plunged into the waters of the river and were 
buffeted about by them. Now, my father, all the people 
that I saw in the water were black people, and all those who 


THE COUNSEL OF BALEKA 


85 


were torn out of the reeds were black — they were none oi 
them white like your people, my father, for this vision was 
a vision of the Zulu race, who alone are ^^torn out of the 
reeds.” Now, I saw that of those who swam in the river 
some passed over very quickly and some stood, as it were, 
still ill the water — as in life, my father, some die soon and 
some live for many years. And I saw the countless faces of 
those in the water, among them were many that I knew. 
There, my father, I saw the face of Chaka, and near him 
was my own face ; there, too, I saw the face of Dingaan, the 
prince, his brother, and the face cf the boy Umslopogaas and 
the face of Nada, my daughter, and then for the first time I 
knew that Umslopogaas was not dead, but only lost. 

Now I turned in my vision, and looked at that bank of 
the river on which I stood. Then I saw that behind the 
bank was a cliff, mighty and black, and in the cliff were 
doors of ivory, and through them came light and the sound 
of laughter ; there were other doors also, black as though 
fashioned of coal, and through them came darkness and the 
sounds of groans. I saw also that in front of the doors was 
set a seat, and on the seat was the figure of a glorious woman. 
She was tall, and she alone was white, and clad in robes of 
white, and her hair was like gold which is molten in the fire, 
and her face shone like the midday sun. Then I saw that 
those who came up out of the river stood before the woman, 
the water yet running from them, and cried aloud to her. 

Hail, Inkosazana-y-Zulu ! Hail, Queen of the Heavens ! ” 

Now the figure of the glorious woman held a rod in either 
hand, and the rod in her right hand was white and of ivory, 
and the rod in her left hand was black and of ebony. And 
as those who came up before her throne greeted her, so she 
pointed now with the wand of ivory in her right hand, and 
now with the wand of ebony in her left hand. And with 
the wand of ivory she pointed to the gates of ivory, through 
which came light and laughter, and with the wand of ebony 
she pointed to the gates of coal, through which came black- 
ness and groans. And as she pointed, so those who greeted 
lier turned, and went, some through the gates of light and 
Fome through the gates of blackness. 


86 


NADA THE LILY 


Presently, as I stood, a handful of people came up from 
the bank of the river. I looked on them and knew them. 
There was Unandi, the mother of Chaka, there was Anadi, 
my wife, and Moosa, my son, and all my other wives and 
children, and those who had perished with them. 

They stood before the figure of the woman, the Princess 
of the Heavens, to whom the Umkulunkulu has given it to 
watch over the people of the Zulu, and cried aloud, ^‘Hail, 
Inkosazana-y-Zulu ! Hail!^^ 

Then she, the Inkosazana, pointed with the rod of ivory 
to the gates of ivory ; but still they stood before her, not 
moving. How the woman spoke for the first time, in a low 
voice that was sad and awful to hear. 

^‘Pass in, children of my people, pass in to the judgment. 
Why tarry ye ? Pass in through the gates of light.” 

But still they tarried, and in my vision Unandi spoke: 
»We tarry. Queen of the Heavens — we tarry to pray for 
justice on him who murdered us. I, who on earth was 
named Mother of the Heavens, on behalf of all this com- 
pany, pray to thee. Queen of the Heavens, for justice on 
him who murdered us.” 

How is he named ? ” asked the voice that was low and 
awful. 

Chaka, king of the Zulus,” answered the voice of Unandi. 

Chaka, my son.” 

“ Many have come to ask for vengeance on that head,” 
said the voice of the Queen of the Heavens, ‘^and many 
more shall come. Fear not, Unandi, it shall fall. Fear not, 
Anadi and ye wives and children of Mopo, it shall fall, I 
say. With the spear that pierced thy breast, Unandi, shall 
the breast of Chaka be also pierced, and, ye wives and chil- 
dren of Mopo, the hand that pierces shall be the hand of 
Mopo. As I guide him so shall he go. Ay, I will teach him 
to wreak my vengeance on the earth ! Pass in, children of 
my people — pass in to the judgment, for the doom of Chaka 
is written.” 

Thus I dreamed, my father. Ay, this was the vision that 
was sent me as I lay in pain and misery among the bones of 
my dead and in the ashes of my kraal. Thus it was given 


THE COUNSEL OF BALEKA 


87 


me to see the Inkosazana of the Heavens as she is in her 
own place. Twice more I saw her, as you shall hear, but 
that was on the earth and with my waking eyes. Yes, 
thrice has it been given to me in all to look upon that face 
that I shall now see no more till I am dead, for no man may 
look four times on the Inkosazana and live. Or am I mad, 
my father, and did I weave these visions from the woof of 
my madness ? I do not know, but it is true that I seemed 
to see them. 

I woke when the sky was grey with the morning light ; it 
was the pain of my burnt hand that aroused me from my 
sleep or from my stupor. I rose shaking the ashes from me, 
and went without the kraal to wash away their defilement. 
Then I returned, and sat outside the gates of the Ewposeni, 
waiting till the king’s women, whom he named his sisters, 
should come to draw water according to their custom. At 
last they came, and, sitting with my kaross thrown over my 
face to hide it, I looked for the passing of Baleka. Pres- 
ently I saw her; she was sad-faced, and walked slowly, her 
pitcher on her head. I whispered her name, and she drew 
aside behind an aloe bush, and, making pretence that her foot 
was pierced with a thorn, she lingered till the other women 
were gone by. Then she came up to me, and we greeted 
one another, gazing heavily into each other’s eyes. 

^^In an ill day did I hearken to you, Baleka,” I said, ^^to 
you and to the Mother of the Heavens, and save your child 
alive. See now what has sprung from this seed! Dead are 
all my house, dead is the Mother of the Heavens — all are 
dead — and I myself have been put to the torment by fire,” 
and I held out my withered hand towards her. 

^^Ay, Mopo, my brother,” she answered, ‘‘but flesh is 
nearest to flesh, and I should think little of it were not my 
son Umslopogaas also dead, as I have heard but now.” 

“You speak like a woman, Baleka. Is it, then, nothing 
to you that I, your brother, have lost — all I love ? ” 

“Presh seed can yet be raised up to you, my brother, but 
for me there is no hope, for the king looks on me no more. 
I grieve for you, but I had this one alone, and flesh is nearest 
to flesh. Think you that I shall escape ? I tell you nay. 


88 


ATADA THE L/LY 


I am but spared for a little, then I go where the others have 
gone. Chaka has marked me for the grave; for a little 
while I may be left, then I die ; he does but play with me 
as a leopard plays with a wounded buck. I care not, I. am 
weary, but I grieve for the boy ; there was no such boy in 
the land. Would that I might die swiftly and go to seek 
him.’’ 

“And if the boy is not dead, Baleka, what then?” 

“What is that you said?” she answered, turning on me 
with wild eyes. “Oh, say it again — again, Mopo ! I would 
gladly die a hundred deaths to know that Umslopogaas still 
lives.” 

“Nay, Baleka, I know nothing. But last night I dreamed 
a dream,” and I told her all my dream, and also of that 
which had gone before the dream. 

She listened as one listens to the words of a king when he 
passes judgment for life or for death. 

“I think that there is wisdom in your dreams, Mopo,” 
she said at length. “You were ever a strange man, to whom 
the gates of distance are no bar. Now it is borne in 
upon my heart that Umslopogaas still lives, and now I shall 
die happy. Yes, gainsay me not; I shall die, I know it. I 
read it in the king’s eyes. But what is it ? It is nothing, if 
only the prince Umslopogaas yet lives.” 

“Your love is great, woman,” I said; “and this love of 
yours has brought many woes upon us, and it may well hap- 
pen that in the end it shall all be for nothing, for there is 
an evil fate upon us. Say now, what shall I do ? Shall I 
fly, or shall I abide here, taking the chance of things ? ” 

“ You must stay here, Mopo. See, now ! This is in the 
king’s mind. He fears because of the death of his mother 
at his own hand — yes, even he ; he is afraid lest the people 
should turn upon him who killed his own mother. There- 
fore he will give it out that he did not kill her, but that 
she perished in the fire which was called down upon your 
kraals by witchcraft; and, though all men know the lie, 
yet none shall dare to gainsay him. As he said to you, 
there will be a smelling out, but a smelling out of a new sort, 
for he and you shall be the witch-finders, and at that smell- 


THE COUNSEL OF BALEKA 


89 


ing out he will give to death aU those whom he fears, all 
those whom he knows hate him for his wickedness and be- 
cause with his own hand he slew his mother. For this cause, 
then, he will save you alive, Mopo — yes, and make you to 
be great in the land, for if, indeed, his mother XJnandi 
died through witchcraft, as he shall say, are you not also 
wronged with him, and did not your wives and children 
also perish by witchcraft ? Therefore, do not fly ; abide here 
and become great — become great to the great end of ven- 
geance, Mopo, my brother. You have much wrong to 
wreak ; soon you will have more, for I, too, shall be gone, 
and my blood also shall cry for vengeance to you. Hearken, 
Mopo. Are there not other princes in the land? What 
of Dingaan, what of Umhlangana, what of Umpanda, 
brothers to the king? Do not these also desire to be 
kings ? Do they not day by day rise from sleep feeling 
their limbs to know if they yet live, do they not night by 
night lie down to sleep not knowing if it shall be their 
wives that they shall kiss ere dawn or the red assegai of 
the king ? Draw near to them, my brother ; creep into 
their hearts and learn their counsel or teach them yours ; so 
in the end shall Chaka be brought to that gate through 
which your wives have passed, and where I also am about to 
tread.” 

Thus Baleka spoke and she was gone, leaving me ponder- 
ing, for her words were heavy with wisdom. I knew well 
that the brothers of the king went heavily and in fear of 
death, for his shadow was on them. With Panda, indeed, 
little could be done, for he lived softly, speaking always as 
one whose wits are few. But Dingaan and Umhlangana 
were of another wood, and from them might be fashioned a 
kerrie that should scatter the brains of Chaka to the birds. 
But the time to speak was not now ; not yet was the cup 
of Chaka full. 

Then, having finished my thought, I rose, and, going to 
the kraal of my friend, I doctored my burnt hand, that 
pained me, and as I w^as doctoring it there came a mes- 
senger to me summoning me before the king. 

I went in before the king, and prostrated myself, calling 


90 


JVADA THE LILY 


him by his royal names ; but he took me by the hand and 
raised me up, speaking softly. 

Kise, Mopo, my servant ! he said. Thou hast suf- 
fered much woe because of the witchcraft of thine enemies. 
I, I have lost my mother, and thou, thou hast lost thy wives 
and children. Weep, my councillors, weep, because I have 
lost my mother, and Mopo, my servant, has lost his wives 
and children, by the witchcraft of our foes ! 

Then all the councillors wept aloud, while Chaka glared 
at them. 

Hearken, Mopo ! ’’ said the king, when the weeping was 
done. ^^None can give me back my mother ; but I can give 
thee more wives, and thou shalt find children. Go in 
among the damsels who are reserved to the king, and choose 
thee six ; go in among the cattle of the king, and choose 
thee ten times ten of the best; call upon the servants of 
the king that they build up thy kraal greater and fairer 
than it was before! These things I give thee freely; but 
thou shalt have more, Mopo — ^yea ! thou shalt have ven- 
geance ! On the first day of the new moon I summon a great 
meeting, a bandhla of all the Zulu people : yes, thine own 
tribe, the Langeni, shall be there also. Then we will mourn 
together over our woes ; then, too, we will learn who brought 
these woes upon us. Go now, Mopo, go ! And go ye also, 
my councillors, leaving me to weep alone because my 
mother is dead 1 

Thus, then, my father, did the words of Baleka come true, 
and thus, because of the crafty policy of Chaka, I grew 
greater in the land than ever I had been before. I chose 
the cattle, they were fat ; I chose the wives, they were fair ; 
but I took no pleasure in them, nor were any more chil- 
dren born to me. For my heart was like a withered stick; 
the sap and strength had gone from my heart — it was 
drawn out in the fire of Chaka’s hut, and lost in my sor- 
row for those whom I had loved. 


THE TALE OF GALAZI THE WOLF 


91 


CHAPTER XII. 

THE TALE OF GALAZI THE WOLF. 

Kow, my father, I will go back a little, for my tale is 
long and winds in and out like a river in a plain, and tell 
of the fate of Umslopogaas when the lion had taken him, 
as he told it to me in the after years. 

The lioness bounded away, and in her mouth was Um- 
slopogaas. Once he struggled, but she bit him hard, so 
he lay quiet in her mouth, and looking back he saw the 
face of Hada as she ran from the fence of thorns, crying 

Save him ! ’’ He saw her face, he heard her words, then 
he saw and heard little more, for the world grew dark to 
him and he passed, as it were, into a deep sleep. Presently 
Umslopogaas awoke again, feeling pain in his thigh, where 
the lioness had bitten him, and heard a sound of shout- 
ing. He looked up; near to him stood the lioness that 
had loosed him from her jaws. She was snorting with 
rage, and in front of her was a lad long and strong, with 
a grim face, and a wolf’s hide, black and grey, bound 
about his shoulders in such fashion that the upper jaw 
and teeth of the wolf rested on his head. He stood before 
the lioness, shouting, and in one hand he held a large war- 
shield, and in the other he grasped a heavy club shod with 
iron. 

How the lioness crouched herself to spring, growling ter- 
ribly, but the lad with the club did not wait for her onset. 
He ran in upon her and struck her on the head with the 
club. He smote hard and well, but this did not kill her, 
for she reared herself upon her hind legs and struck at him 
heavily. He caught the blow upon his shield, but the shield 
was driven against his breast so strongly that he fell back- 
wards beneath it, and lay there howling like a wolf in pain. 
Then the lioness sprang upon him and worried him. Still, 
because of the shield, as yet she could not come at him to 
sla^ him; but Umslopogaas saw that this might not endure, 


92 


NAD A THE LILY 


for presently the shield would be torn aside and the stranger 
must be killed. Now in the breast of the lioness still stood 
the half of Umslopogaas’s broken spear, and its blade was a 
span deep in her breast. Then this thought came into the 
mind of Umslopogaas, that he would drive the spear home 
or die. So he rose swiftly, for strength came back to him 
in his need, and ran to where the lioness worried at him 
who lay beneath the shield. She did not heed him, so he 
flung himself upon his knees before her, and, seizing the haft 
of the broken spear, drove it deep into her and wrenched it 
round. Now she saw Umslopogaas and turned roaring, 
and clawed at him, tearing his breast and arms. Then, 
as he lay, he heard a mighty howling, and, behold ! grey 
wolves and black leaped upon the lioness and rent and 
worried her till she fell and was torn to pieces by them. 
After this the senses of Umslopogaas left him again, and 
the light went out of his eyes so that he was as one dead. 

At length his mind came back to him, and with it his 
memory, and he remembered the lioness and looked up 
to find her. But he did not find her, and he saw that he 
lay in a cave upon a bed of grass, while all about him were 
the skins of beasts, and at his side was a pot filled with 
water. He put out his hand and, taking the pot, drank of 
the water, and then he saw that his arm was wasted as with 
sickness, and that his breast was thick with scars scarcely 
skinned over. 

Now while he lay and wondered, the mouth of the cave 
was darkened, and through it entered that same lad who had 
done battle with the lioness and been overthrown by her, 
bearing a dead buck upon his shoulders. He put down the 
buck upon the ground, and, walking to where Umslopogaas 
lay, looked at him. 

Ou ! ” he said, your eyes are open — do you, then, live, 
stranger ? ” 

“ I live,” answered Umslopogaas, and I am hungry.” 

It is time,” said the other, since with toil I bore you 
here through the forest, for twelve days you have lain with- 
out sense, drinking water only. So deeply had the lion 
clawed you that I thought of you as dead. Twice I was 


THE TALE OF GALAZI THE WOLF 


93 


near to killing you, that you might cease to suffer and I to 
be troubled ; but I held my hand, because of a word which 
came to me from one who is dead. Now eat, that your 
strength may return to you. Afterwards we will talk.’’ 

So Umslopogaas ate, and little by little his health returned 
to him — every day a little. And afterwards, as they sat at 
night by the fire in the cave they spoke together. 

How are you named ? ” asked Umslopogaas of the other. 

“I am named Galazi the Wolf,” he answered, ^^and I am 
of Zulu blood — ay, of the blood of Chaka the king; for 
the father of Senzangacona, the father of Chaka, was my 
great-grandfather.” 

Whence came you, Galazi ? ” 

“ I came from Swaziland — from the tribe of the Hala- 
kazi, which I should rule. This is the story : Siguyana, my 
grandfather, was a younger brother of Senzangacona, the 
father of Chaka. But he quarrelled with Senzangacona, 
and became a wanderer. With certain of the people of the 
Umtetwa he wandered into Swaziland, and sojourned with 
the Halakazi tribe in their great caves ; and the end of it 
was that he killed the chief of the tribe and took his place. 
Aftei he was dead, my father ruled in his place ; but there 
was a great party in the tribe that hated his rule because 
he was of the Zulu race, and it would have set up a chief 
of the old Swazi blood in his place. Still, they could not 
do this, for my father’s hand was heavy on the people. 
Now I was the only son of my father by his head wife, and 
born to be chief after him, and therefore those of the Swazi 
party, and they were many and great, hated me also. So 
matters stood till last year in the winter, and then my 
father set his heart upon killing twenty of the headmen, 
with their wives and children, because he knew that they 
plotted against him. But the headmen learned what was 
to come, and they prevailed upon a wife of my father, a 
woman of their own blood, to poison him. So she poisoned 
him in the night and in the morning it was told me 
that my father lay sick and summoned me, and I went 
to him. In his hut I found him, and he was writhing with 
pain. 


94 


JVADA THE LILY 


^ What is it, my father ? ’ I said. ‘ Who has done this 
evil ? ’ 

‘ It is this, my son,^ he gasped, ‘ that I am poisoned, 
and she stands yonder who has done the deed.’ And he 
pointed to the woman, who stood at the side of the hut near 
the door, her chin upon her breast, trembling as she looked 
upon the fruit of her wickedness. 

^‘Now the girl was young and fair, and we had been 
friends, yet I say that I did not pause, for my heart was mad 
in me. I did not pause, but, seizing my spear, I ran at her, 
and, though she cried for mercy, I killed her with the spear. 

“ ^ That was well done, Galazi ! ’ said my father. ^ But 
when I am gone, look to yourself, my son, for these Swazi 
dogs will drive you out and rob you of your place ! But if 
they drive you out and you still live, swear this to me — 
that you will not rest till you have avenged me.’ 

“ ‘ I swear it, my father,’ I answered. ^ I swear that I 
will stamp out the men of the tribe of Halakazi, every one 
of them, except those of my own blood, and bring their 
women to slavery and their children to bonds ! ’ 

^ Big words for a young mouth,’ said my father. ‘ Yet 
shall you live to bring these things about, Galazi. This I 
know of you now in my hour of death: you shall be a 
wanderer for the few years of your life, child of Siguyana, 
and wandering in another land you shall die a man’s 
death, and not such a death as yonder witch has given to 
me.’ Then, having spoken thus, he lifted up his head, 
looked at me, and with a great groan he died. 

‘‘ Now I passed out of the hut dragging the body of the 
dead girl after me. In front of the hut were gathered 
many headmen waiting for the end, and I saw that their 
looks were sullen. 

‘ The chief, my father, is dead ! ’ I cried in a loud voice, 
‘ and I, Galazi, who am the chief, have slain her who mur- 
dered him ! ’ And I rolled the body of the girl over on to 
her back so that they might look upon her face. 

^‘Now the father of the girl was among those who stood 
before me, he who had persuaded her to the deed, and he 
was maddened at the sight. 


THE TALE OF GALAZI THE WOLF 


95 

^ What, my brothers ? ’ he cried. ^ Shall we suffer that 
this young Zulu dog, this murderer of a girl, be chief over 
us ? Never ! The old lion is dead, now for the cub ! ’ And 
he ran at me with spear aloft. 

‘‘ ‘ Never ! ’ shouted the others, and they, too, ran towards 
me, shaking their spears. 

“I waited, I did not hasten, for I knew well that I should 
not die then, I knew it from my father’s last words. I 
waited till the man was near me ; he thrust, I sprang aside 
and drove my spear through him, and on the daughter’s 
body the father fell dead. Then I shouted aloud and rushed 
through them. None touched me; none could catch me; 
the mail does not live who can overtake me when my feet 
are on the ground and I am away.” 

“Yet I might try,” said Umslopogaas, smilingj for of all 
lads among the Zulus he was the swiftest of foot. 

“ First walk again, then run,” answered Galazi. 

“Take up the tale,” quoth Umslopogaas; “it is a merry 
one.” 

“ Something is left to tell, stranger. I fled from the 
country of the Halakazi, nor did I linger at all in the land 
of the Swazis, but came on swiftly into the Zulu. Now, it 
was in my mind to go to Chaka and tell him of my wrongs, 
asking that he would send an impi to make an end of the 
Halakazi. But while I journeyed, finding food and shelter 
as I might, I came one night to the kraal of an old man 
who knew Chaka, and had known Siguyana, my grand- 
father, and to him, when I had stayed there two da3"S, I 
told my tale. But the old man counselled me against my 
plan, saying that Chaka, the king, did not love to welcome 
shoots sprung from the royal stock, and would kill me; 
moreover, the man offered me a place in his kraal. Now, I 
held that there was wisdom in his words, and thought no 
more of standing before the king to cry for justice, for he 
who cries to kings for justice sometimes finds death. Still, 
I would not stay in the kraal of the old man, for he had 
sons to come after him who looked on me with no liking ; 
moreover, I wished to be a chief myself, even if I lived 
alone. So I left the kraal by night and walked on, not 
knowing .where I should go. 


96 


JVADA THE LILY 


‘‘Now, on the third night, I came to a little kraal that 
stands on the farther side of the river at the foot of the 
mountain. In front of the kraal sat a very old woman 
basking in the rays of the setting sun. She saw me, and 
spoke to me, saying, ‘ Young man, you are tall and strong 
and swift of foot. Would you earn a famous weapon, a 
club, that destroys all who stand before it ? \ 

“ ‘ I said that I wished to have such a club, and asked what 
I should do to win it.’ 

“‘You shall do this,’ said the old woman: ‘to-morrow 
morning, at the first light, you shall go up to yonder moun- 
tain,’ and she pointed to the mountain where you are 
now, stranger, on which the stone Witch sits forever wait- 
ing for the world to die. ‘Two-thirds of the way up 
the mountain you will come to a path that is difficult to 
climb. You shall climb the path and enter a gloomy forest. 
It is very dark in the forest, but you must push through it 
till you come to an open place with a wall of rock behind 
it. In the wall of rock is a cave, and in the cave you will 
find the bones of a man. Bring down the bones in a bag, 
and I will give you the club ! ’ 

“While she spoke thus people came out of the kraal and 
listened. 

“ ‘ Do not heed her, young man,’ they said, ‘ unless you 
are weary of life. Do not heed her: she is crazy. The 
mountain is haunted ; it is a place of ghosts. Look at the 
stone Witch who sits upon it ! Evil spirits live in that for- 
est, and no man has walked there for many years. This 
woman’s son was foolish : he went to wander in the forest, 
saying that he cared nothing for ghosts, and the Amatongo^ 
the ghost-folk, killed him. That was many years ago, and 
none have dared to seek his bones. Ever she sits here and 
asks of the passers by that they should bring them to her, 
offering the great club for a reward ; but they dare not ! ’ 

“ ‘ They lie ! ’ said the old woman. ‘ There are no ghosts 
there. The ghosts live only in their cowardly hearts ; there 
are but wolves. I know that . the bones of my son lie in 
the cave, for I have seen them in a dream ; but, alas ! my old 
limbs are too weak to carry me up the mountain path, and 


THE TALE OF GALAZI THE WOLF 


97 


all these are cowards ; there is no man among them since 
the Zulus killed my husband, covering him with wounds ! ’ 

‘^Now, I listened, answering nothing ; but when all had 
done, I asked to see the club which should be given to him 
who dared to face the Amatongo, the spirits who lived in 
the forest upon the Ghost Mountain. Then the old woman 
rose, and creeping on her hands went into the hut. 
Presently she returned again, dragging the great club after 
her. 

^‘Look at it, stranger! look at it! Was there ever such 
a club?” And Galazi held it up before the eyes of Umslopo- 
gaas. 

In truth, my father, that was a club, for I, Mopo, 
saw it in after days. It was great and knotty, black as 
iron that had been smoked in the fire, and shod with metal 
that was worn smooth with smiting. 

I looked at it,” went on Galazi, and I tell you, stranger, 
a great desire came into my heart to possess it. 

“‘How is this club named?’ I asked of the old woman. 

“‘It is named Watcher of the Fords,’ she answered, 
‘and it has not watched in vain. Five men have held that 
club in war and a hundred-and-seventy-and-three have 
given up their lives beneath its strokes. He who held it 
last slew twenty before he was slain himself, for this for- 
tune goes with the club — that he who owns it shall die hold- 
ing it, but in a noble fashion. There is but one other 
weapon to match with it in Zululand, and that is the great 
axe of Jikiza, the chief of the People of the Axe, who dwells 
in the kraal yonder ; the ancient horn-hafted Imbubuzi, the 
Groan-Maker, that brings victory. Were axe, Groan-Maker, 
and club. Watcher of the Fords, side by side, there are no 
thirty men in Zululand who could stand before them. I 
have said. Choose!’ And the aged woman watched me 
cunningly through her horny eyes. 

“ ‘ She speaks truly now,’ said one of those who stood near. 

‘ Let the club be, young man : he who owns it smites great 
blows indeed, but in the end he dies by the assegai. None 
dare own the Watcher of the Fords.’ 

“ ‘ A good death and a swift ! ’ I answered. And pondered 

H 


JVADA THE LILY 


98 

a time, while still the old woman watched me through her 
horny eyes. At length she rose, ‘La! la!’ she said, ‘the 
Watcher is not for this one. This is but a child, I must seek 
me a man, I must seek me a man ! ’ 

“ ‘ Not so fast, old wife,’ I said. ‘ Will you lend me this 
club to hold in my hand while I go to find the bones of your 
son and to snatch them from the people of the ghosts ? ’ 
“‘Lend you the Watcher, boy? Nay, nay! I should 
see little of you again or of the good club either.’ 

“ ‘ I am no thief,’ I answered. ‘ If the ghosts kill me, 
you will see me no more, or the club either ; but if I live I 
will bring you back the bones, or, if I do not find them, 
1 will render the Watcher into your hands again. At 
the least I say that if you will not lend me the club, then 
1 will not go into the haunted place.’ 

“ ‘ Boy, your eyes are honest,’ she said, still peering at 
me. ‘ Take the Watcher, go seek the bones. If you die, 
let the club be lost with you; if you fail, bring it back to 
me ; but if you win the bones, then it is yours, and it shall 
bring you glory, and you shall die a man’s death at last 
holding him aloft among the dead.’ 

“ So on the morrow at dawn I took the club Watcher in 
my hand and a little dancing shield, and made ready to 
start. The old woman blessed me and bade me farewell, 
but the other people of the kraal mocked, saying: ‘A little 
man for so big a club ! Beware, little man, lest the ghosts 
use the club on you!’ So they spoke, but one girl in the 
kraal — she is a granddaughter of the old woman — led me 
aside, praying me not to go, for the forest on the Ghost 
Mountain had an evil name : none dared walk there, since it 
was certainly full of spirits, who howled like wolves. I 
thanked the girl, but to the others I said nothing, only 
I asked of the path to the Ghost Mountain. 

“ Now, stranger, if you have strength, come to the mouth 
of the cave and look out, for the moon is bright.” 

So Umslopogaas rose and crept through the narrow 
mouth of the cave. There, above him, a great grey peak 
towered high into the air, shaped like a seated woman, her 
chin resting upon her breast, the place where the cave was 


THE TALE OF GALAZl THE WOLF 


99 


being, as it were, on the lap of the woman. Below this 
place the rock sloped sharply, and was clothed with little 
bushes. Lower down yet was a forest, great and dense, 
that stretched to the top of a cliff, and at the foot of the 
cliff, beyond the waters of the river, lay the wide plains of 
Zululand. 

“ Yonder, stranger,’’ said Galazi, pointing with the club 
Watcher of the Fords far away to the plain beneath; 
‘^yonder is the kraal where the aged woman dwelt. There 
is the cliff rising from the plain, up which I must climb ; 
there is the forest where dwell the Amatongo^ the people 
of the ghosts ; there, on the hither side of the forest, runs 
the path to the cave, and here is the cave itself. See this 
stone lying at the mouth of the cave, it turns thus, shutting 
up the entrance hole — it turns gently ; though it is so large, 
a child may move it, for it rests upon a sharp point of rock. 
Only mark this, the stone must not be pushed too far ; for, 
look! if it came to here,” and he pointed to a mark in the 
mouth of the cave, then that man need be strong who can 
draw it back again, though I have done it myself, who am 
not a man full grown. But if it pass beyond this mark, 
then, see, it will roll down the neck of the cave like a pebble 
down the neck of a gourd, and I think that two men, one 
striving from within and one dragging from without, scarcely 
could avail to push it clear. Look now, I close the stone, as 
is my custom of a night, so,” — and he grasped the rock and 
swung it round upon its pivot, on which it turned as a door 
turns. ^‘Thus I leave it, and though, except those to whom 
the secret is known, none would guess that a cave was here, 
yet it can be rolled back with a push of the hand. But 
enough of the stone. Enter again, wanderer, and I will go 
forward with my tale, for it is long and strange. 

I started from the kraal of the old woman, and the people 
of the kraal followed me to the brink of the river. It was 
in flood, and few had dared to cross it. 

^ Ha 1 ha !’ they cried, ^now your journey is done, little 
man; watch by the ford you who would win the Watcher of 
the Ford! Beat the water with the club, perhaps so it. 
shall grow gentle that your feet may pass it !’ 


100 


ATADA THE LILY 


“I answered nothing to their mocking, only I bound the 
shield upon my shoulders with a string, and the bag that 
I had brought I made fast about my middle, and I held the 
great club in my teeth by the thong. Then I plunged into 
the river and swam. Twice, stranger, the current bore me 
under, and those on the bank shouted that I was lost ; but 
I rose again, and in the end I won the farther shore. 

Now those on the bank mocked no more ; they stood still 
wondering, and I walked on till I came to the foot of the 
cliff. That cliff is hard to climb, stranger ; when you are 
strong upon your feet, I will show you the path. Yet 
I found a way up it, and by midday I came to the forest. 
Here, on the edge of the forest, I rested awhile, and ate a 
little food that I had brought with me in the bag, for now 
I must gather up my strength to meet the ghosts, if ghosts 
there were. Then I rose and plunged into the forest. The 
trees are great that grow there, stranger, and their leaves 
are so thick that in certain places the light is as that of 
night when the moon is young. Still, I wended on, often 
losing my path. But from time to time between the tops 
of the trees I saw the figure of the grey stone woman who 
sits on the top of Ghost Mountain, and shaped my course 
towards her knees. My heart beat as I travelled through 
the forest in dark and loneliness like that of the night, and 
ever I looked round searching for the eyes of the Amatongo. 
But I saw no spirits, though at times great spotted snakes 
crept from before my feet, and perhaps these were the 
Amatongo. At times, also, I caught glimpses of some grey 
wolf as he slunk from tree to tree watching me, and always 
high above my head the wind sighed in the great boughs 
with a sound like the sighing of women. 

Still, I went on, singing to myself as I went, that my 
heart might not faint with fear, and at length, towards the 
end of the second hour, the trees grew fewer, the ground 
sloped upwards, and the light poured down from the heav- 
ens again. But, stranger, you are weary, and the night 
wears on; sleep now, and to-morrow I will end the tale. 
Say, first, how are you named ? 

‘A am named Umslopogaas, son of Mopo,’^ he answered, 


GALAZI BECOMES KING OF THE WOLVES loi * 


*^and my tale shall be told when yours is donej let us 
sleep ! ’’ 

Now when Galazi heard this name he started and was 
troubled, but said nothing. So they laid them down to 
sleep, and Galazi wrapped Umslopogaas with the skins of 
bucks. 

But Galazi the Wolf was so hardy that he lay on the 
bare rock and had no covering. So they slept, and without 
the door of the cave the wolves howled, scenting the blood 
of men. 


CHAPTEB XIII. 

GALAZI BECOMES KING OF THE WOLVES. 

On the morrow Umslopogaas awoke, and knew that 
strength was growing on him fast. Still, all that day he 
rested in the cave, while Galazi went out to hunt. In the 
evening he returned, bearing a buck upon his shoulders, and 
they skinned the buck and ate of it as they sat by the fire. 
And when the sun was down Galazi took up his tale. 

‘‘ Now Umslopogaas, son of Mopo, hear ! I had passed 
the forest, and had come, as it were, to the legs of the old 
stone Witch who sits up aloft there forever waiting for the 
world to die. Here the sun shone merrily, here lizards ran 
and birds flew to and fro, and though it grew towards the 
evening — for I had wandered long in the forest — I was 
afraid no more. So I climbed up the steep rock, where little 
bushes grow like hair on the arms of a man, till at last I 
came to the knees of the stone Witch, which are the space 
before the cave. I lifted my head over the brink of the 
rock and looked, and I tell you, Umslopogaas, my blood ran 
cold and my heart turned to water, for there, before the 
cave, rolled wolves, many and great. Some slept and 
growled in their sleep, some gnawed at the skulls of dead 
game, some sat up like dogs and their tongues hung from 
their grinning jaws. I looked, I saw, and beyond I dis- 
covered the mouth of the cave, where the bones of the boy 


102 


ATADA THE LILY 


should be. But. I had no wish to come there being afraid 
of the wolves, for now I knew that these were the ghosts 
who live upon the mountain. So I bethought me that 
I would fly, and turned to go. And, Umslopogaas, even 
as I turned, the great club Watcher of the Fords swung 
round and smote me on the back with such a blow as a 
man smites upon a coward. Now whether this was by 
chance or whether the Watcher would shame him who bore 
it, say you, for I do not know. At the least, shame entered 
into me. Should I go back to be mocked by the people of 
the kraal and by the old woman ? And if I wished to go, 
should I not be killed by the ghosts at night in the forest ? 
Nay, it was better to die in the jaws of the wolves, and at 
once. 

“ Thus I thought in my heart ; then, tarrying not, lest 
fear should come upon me again, I swung up the Watcher, 
and crying aloud the war-cry of the Halakazi, I sprang over 
the brink of the rock and rushed upon the wolves. They, 
too, sprang up and stood howling, with bristling hides and 
fiery eyes, and the smell of them came into my nostrils. Yet 
when they saw it was a man that rushed upon them, they 
were seized with sudden fear and fled this way and that, 
leaping by great bounds from the place of rock, which is 
the knees of the stone Witch, so that presently I stood alone 
in front of the cave. Now, having conquered the wolf 
ghosts and no blow struck, my heart swelled within me, and 
I walked to the mouth of the cave proudly, as a cock walks 
upon a roof, and looked in through the opening. As it 
chanced, the sinking sun shone at this hour full into the 
cave, so that all its darkness was made red with light. 
Then, once more, Umslopogaas, I grew afraid indeed, for I 
could see the end of the cave. 

Look now ! There is a hole in the wall of the cave, where 
the firelight falls below the shadow of the roof, twice the 
height of a man from the floor. It is a narrow hole and a 
high, is it not ? — as though one had cut it with iron, and a- 
man might sit in it, his legs hanging towards the floor of 
the cave. Ay, Umslopogaas, a man might sit in it, might 
he not ? And there a man sat, or that which had been a 


GALAZI BECOMES KING OF THE WOLVES 103 


man. There sat the bones of a man, and the black skin had 
withered on his bones, holding them together, and making 
him awful to see. His hands were open beside him, he 
leaned upon them, and in the right hand was a piece of 
hide from his moocha. It was half eaten, Umslopogaas; he 
had eaten it before he died. His eyes also were bound 
round with a band of leather, as though to hide something 
from their gaze, one foot was gone, one hung over the edge 
of the niche towards the floor, and beneath it on the floor, 
red with rust, lay the blade of a broken spear. 

“Now come hither, Umslopogaas, place your hand upon 
the wall of the cave, just here ; it is smooth, is it not ? — 
smooth as the stones on which women grind their corn. 
‘ What made it so smooth ? ’ you ask. I will tell you. 

“ When I peered through the door of the cave I saw 
this : on the floor of the cave lay a she-wolf panting, as 
though she had galloped many a mile; she was great and 
fierce. Near to her was another wolf — he was a dog — old 
and black, bigger than any I have seen, a very father of 
wolves, and all his head and flanks were streaked with grey. 
But this wolf was on his feet. As I watched he drew back 
nearly to the mouth of the cave, then of a sudden he ran 
forward and bounded high into the air towards the withered 
foot of that which hung from the cleft of the rock. His 
pads struck upon the rock here where it is smooth, and 
there for a second he seemed to cling, while his great jaws 
closed with a clash but a spear’s breadth beneath the dead 
man’s foot. Then he fell back with a howl of rage, and 
drew slowly down the cave. Again he ran and leaped, again 
the great jaws closed, again he fell down howling. Then 
the she-wolf arose, and they sprang together, striving to 
pull him down who sat above. But it was all in vain ; they 
could never come nearer than within a spear’s breadth of 
the dead man’s foot. And now, Umslopogaas, you know 
why the rock is smooth and shines. From month to month 
and year to year the wolves had ravened there, seeking 
to devour the bones of him who sat above. Night upon 
night they had leaped thus against the wall of the cave, 
but never might their clashing jaws close upon his foot. 


104 


JVADA THE LILY 


One foot they had, indeed, but the other they could not 
come by. 

‘^Now as I watched, filled with fear and wonder, the she- 
wolf, her tongue lolling from her jaws, made so mighty a 
bound that she almost reached the hanging foot, and yet 
not quite. She fell back, and then I saw that the leap was 
her last for that time, for she had oversprung herself, and 
lay there howling, the black blood flowing from her mouth. 
The wolf saw also : he drew near, sniffed at her, then, know- 
ing that she was hurt, seized her by the throat and worried 
her. Now all the place was filled with groans and chok- 
ing howls, as the wolves rolled over and over beneath him 
who sat above, and in the blood-red light of the dying sun 
the sight and sounds were so horrid that I trembled like a 
child. The she-wolf grew faint, for the white fangs of her 
mate were buried in her throat. Then I saw that now 
was the time to smite him, lest when he had killed her 
he should kill me also. So I lifted the Watcher and sprang 
into the cave, having it in my mind to slay the wolf before 
he lifted up his head. But he heard my footsteps, or per- 
haps my shadow fell upon him. Loosing his grip, he 
looked up, this father of wolves; then, making no sound, 
he sprang straight at my throat. 

saw him, and whirling the Watcher aloft, I smote with 
all my strength. The blow met him in mid-air ; it fell full on 
his chest and struck him backwards to the earth. But there 
he would not stay, for, rising before 1 could smite again, 
once more he sprang at me. This time I leaped aside and 
struck downwards, and the blow fell upon his right leg and 
broke it, so that he could spring no more. Yet he ran at me 
on three feet, and, though the club fell on his side, he seized 
me with his teeth, biting through that leather bag, which 
was wound about my middle, into the flesh behind. Then I 
yelled with pain and rage, and lifting the Watcher endways, 
drove it down with both hands, as a man drives a stake into 
the earth, and that with so great a stroke that the skull of 
the wolf was shattered like a pot, and he fell dead, drag- 
ging me with him. Presently I sat up on the ground, and, 
placing the handle of the Watcher between his jaws, I forced 


GALAZI BECOMES KING OF THE J VOLTES 105 


them open, freeing my flesh from the grip of his teeth. 
Then I looked at my wounds; they were not deep, for 
the leather bag had saved me, yet I feel them to this hour, 
for there is poison in the mouth of a wolf. Presently I 
glanced up, and saw that the she-wolf had found her feet 
again, and stood as though unhurt ; for this is the nature 
of these ghosts, Umslopogaas, that, though they fight con- 
tinually, they cannot destroy each other. They may be killed 
by man alone, and that hardly. There she stood, and yet 
she did not look at me or on her dead mate, but at him 
only who sat above. I saw, and crept softly behind her, 
then, lifting the Watcher, I dashed him down with all my 
strength. The blow fell on her neck and broke it, so that 
she rolled over and at once was dead. 

^^Now I rested awhile, then went to the mouth of the 
cave and looked out. The sun was sinking; all the depth 
of forest was black, but the light still shone on the face 
of the stone woman who sits forever on the mountain. 
Here, then, I must bide this night, for, though the moon 
shone white and full in the sky, I dared not wend towards 
the plains alone with the wolves and the ghosts. And if 
I dared not go alone, how much less should I dare to go 
bearing with me him who sat in the cleft of the rock ! 
Nay, here I must bide, so I went out of the cave to the 
spring which flows from the rock on the right yonder and 
washed my wounds and drank. Then I came back and sat 
in the mouth of the cave, and watched the light die away 
from the face of the world. While it was dying there was 
silence, but when it was dead the forest awoke. A wind 
sprang up and tossed it till the green of its boughs waved like 
troubled water on which the moon shines faintly. From the 
heart of it, too, came bowlings of ghosts and wolves, that 
were answered by howls from the rocks above — hearken, 
Umslopogaas, such bowlings as we hear to-night! 

It was awful here in the mouth of the cave, for I had not 
yet learned the secret of the stone, and if I had known it, 
should I have dared to close it, leaving myself alone with 
the dead wolves and him whom the wolves had struggled to 
tear down ? I walked out yonder on to the platform and 


io6 


NAD A THE LILY 


looked up. The moon shone full upon the face of the stone 
Witch who sits aloft forever. She seemed to grin at me, 
and, oh ! I grew afraid, for now I knew that this was a place 
of dead men, a place where spirits perch like vultures in a 
tree, as they sweep round and round the world. I went back 
to the cave, and feeling that I must do something lest I 
should go mad, I drew to me the carcase of the great dog- 
wolf which I had killed, and, taking my knife of iron, 
I began to skin it by the light of the moon. For an 
hour or more I skinned, singing to myself as I worked, 
and striving to forget him who sat in the cleft above 
and the bowlings which ran about the mountains. But 
ever the moonlight shone more clearly into the cave : 
now by it I could see his shape of bone and skin, ay, and 
even the bandage about his eyes. Why had he tied it there ? 
I wondered — perhaps to hide the faces of the fierce wolves 
as they sprang upwards to grip him. And always the bowl- 
ings drew nearer ; now I could see grey forms creeping to 
and fro in the shadows of the rocky place before me. Ah ! 
there before me glared two red eyes : a sharp snout sniffed 
at the carcase which I skinned. With a yell, I lifted the 
Watcher and smote. There came a scream of pain, and 
something galloped away into the shadows. 

Now the skin was off. I cast it behind me, and seizing 
the carcase dragged it to the edge of the rock and left it. 
Presently the sound of bowlings drew near p.gain, and I 
saw the grey shapes creep up one by one. Now they 
gathered round the carcase, now they fell upon it and rent 
it, fighting horribly till all was finished. Then, licking their 
red chops, they slunk back to the forest. 

Did I sleep or did I wake ? Nay, I cannot tell. But I 
know this, that of a sudden I seemed to look up and see. I 
saw a light — perchance, Umslopogaas, it was the light of the 
moon shining upon him that sat aloft at the end of the cave. 
It was a red light, and he glowed in it as glows a thing that 
is rotten. I looked, or seemed to look, and then I thought 
that the hanging jaw moved, and from it came a voice that 
was harsh and hollow as of one who speaks from an empty 
belly, through a withered throat. 


GALAZr BECOMES KING OF THE WOLVES 107 

Galazi, child of Siguyana !’ said the voice, ^Galazi 
the Wolf! Say, what dost thou here in the Ghost Moun- 
tain, where the stone Witch sits forever, waiting for the 
world to die ? ’ 

“Then, Umslopogaas, I answered, or seemed to answer, 
and my voice, too, sounded strange and hollow : — 

“ ‘ Hail, Dead One, who sittest like a vulture on a rock ! 
I do this on the Ghost Mountain. I come to seek thy bones 
and bear them to thy mother for burial.^ 

“ ‘ Many and many a year have I sat aloft, Galazi,’ an- 
swered the voice, ‘ watching the ghost-wolves leap and leap 
to drag me down, till the rock grew smooth beneath the 
wearing of their feet. So I sat seven days and nights, 
being yet alive, the hungry wolves below, and hunger gnaw- 
ing at my heart. So I have sat many and many a year, 
being dead in the heart of the old stone Witch, watching the 
moon and the sun and the stars, hearkening to the howls of 
the ghost-wolves as they ravened beneath me, and learning 
the wisdom of the old witch who sits above in everlast- 
ing stone. Yet my mother was young and fair when I trod 
the haunted forest and climbed the knees of stone. How 
seems she now, Galazi ? ’ 

“ ‘ She is white and wrinkled and very aged,’ I answered. 
^ They call her mad, yet at her bidding I came to seek thee. 
Dead One, bearing the Watcher that was thy father’s and 
shall be mine. ’ 

“^It shall be thine, Galazi,’ said the voice, ^for thou 
alone hast dared the ghosts to give me sleep and burial. 
Hearken, thine also shall be the wisdom of the old witch 
who sits aloft forever, frozen into everlasting stone — thine 
and one other’s. These are not wolves that thou hast seen, 
that is no wolf which thou hast slain ; nay, they are ghosts — 
evil ghosts of men who lived in ages gone, and who must 
now live till they be slain by men. And knowest thou how 
they lived, Galazi, and what was the food they ate ? When 
the light comes again, Galazi, climb to the breasts of the 
stone Witch, and look in the cleft which is between her 
breasts. There shalt thou see how these men lived. And 
now this doom is on them : they must wander gaunt and 


io8 


JVABA THE LILY 


hungry in the shape of wolves, haunting that Ghost Moun- 
tain where once they fed, till they are led forth to die at the 
hands of men. Because of their devouring hunger have 
they leapt from year to year, striving to reach my bones ; 
and he whom thou hast slain was the king of them, and she 
at his side was their queen. 

^^^Now, Galazi the Wolf, this is the wisdom that I give 
thee : thou shalt be king of the ghost-wolves, thou and 
another, whom a lion shall bring thee. Gird the black 
skin upon thy shoulders, and the wolves shall follow thee ; 
all the three hundred and sixty and three of them that are 
left, and let him who shall be brought to thee gird on the 
skin of grey. Where ye twain lead them, there shall they 
raven, bringing you victory till all are dead. But know 
this, that there only may they raven where in life they 
ravened, seeking for their food. Yet, that was an ill gift 
thou tookest from my mother — the gift of the Watcher, for 
though without the Watcher thou hadst never slain the king 
of the ghost-wolves, yet, bearing the Watcher, thou shalt 
thyself be slain. Now, on the morrow carry me back to 
my mother, so that I may sleep where the ghost-wolves 
leap no more. I have spoken, Galazi.’ 

“ Now the Dead One’s voice seemed to grow ever fainter 
and more hollow as he spoke, till at the last I could scarcely 
hear his words, yet I answered him, asking him this : — 

^ Who is it, then, that the lion shall bring to me to rule 
with me over the ghost- wolves, and how is he named ? ’ 
Then the Dead One spoke once more very faintly, yet 
in the silence of the place I heard his words : — 

^^^He is named Umslopogaas the Slaughterer, son of 
Chaka, Lion of the Zulu.’ ” 

Now Umslopogaas started up from his place by the fire, 
am named Umslopogaas,” he said, ^^but the Slaughterer 
I am not named, and I am the son of Mopo, and not the 
son of Chaka, Lion of the Zulu ; you have dreamed a 
dream, Galazi, or, if it was no dream, then the Dead One 
lied to you.” 

'^Perchance this was so, Umslopogaas,” answered Galazi 
the Wolf. Perhaps I dreamed, or perhaps the Dead One 


GALAZI BECOMES KING OF THE WOLVES 109 

lied ; nevertheless, if he lied in this matter, in other matters 
he did not lie, as you shall hear. 

After I had heard these words, or had dreamed that I 
heard them, I slept indeed, and when I woke the forest 
beneath was like the clouds for mist, but the grey light 
glinted upon the face of her who sits in stone above. 
Now I remembered the dream that I had dreamed, and I 
would see if it was all a dream. So I rose, and leaving 
the cave, found a place where I might climb up to the 
breasts and head of the stone Witch. I climbed, and as I 
went the rays of the sun lit upon her face, and I rejoiced 
to see them. But, when I drew near, the likeness to the face 
of a woman faded away, and I saw nothing before me but 
rugged heaps of piled-up rock. For this, Umslopogaas, is 
the way of witches, be they of stone or flesh — when you 
draw near to them they change their shape. 

^‘Now I was on the breast of the mountain, and wan- 
dered to and fro awhile between great heaps of stone. 
At length I found, as it were, a crack in the stone thrice as 
wide as a man can jump, and in length the half a spear’s 
throw, and near this crack stood great stones blackened by 
fire, and beneath them broken pots and a knife of flint. I 
looked down into the crack — it was very deep, and green 
with moss, and tall ferns grew about in it, for the damp 
gathered here. There was nothing else. I had dreamed a 
lying dream. I turned to go, then found another mind, and 
climbed down into the cleft, pushing aside the ferns. Be- 
neath the ferns was moss; I scraped it away with the 
Watcher. Presently the iron of the club struck on some- 
thing that was yellow and round like a stone, and from the 
yellow thing came a hollow sound. I lifted it, Umslopo- 
gaas ; it was the skull of a child. 

I dug deeper and scraped away more moss, till presently 
I saw. Beneath the moss was nothing but the bones of 
men — old bones that had lain there many years ; the little 
ones had rotted, the large ones remained — some were 
yellow, some black, and others still white. They were not 
broken, as are those that hyenas and wolves have worried, 
yet on some of them I could see the marks of teeth. 


no 


JVADA THE LILY 


Then, Umslopogaas, I went back to the cave, never looking 
behind me. 

“Now when I was come to the cave I did this : I skinned 
the she-wolf also. When I had finished the sun was up, and 
I knew that it was time to go. But I could not go alone — 
he who sat aloft in the cleft of the cave must go with me. 
I greatly feared to touch him — this Dead One, who had 
spoken to me in a dream ; yet I must do it. So I brought 
stones and piled them up till I could reach him; then I 
lifted him down, for he was very light, being but skin and 
bones. When he was down I bound the hides of the 
wolves about me, then leaving the leather bag, into which 
he could not enter, I took the Dead One and placed him 
on my shoulders as a man might carry a child, for his legs 
were fixed somewhat apart, and holding him by that foot 
which was left on him, I set out for the kraal. Down the 
slope I went as swiftly as I could, for now I knew the way, 
seeing and hearing nothing, except once, when there came 
a rush of wings, and a great eagle swept down at that which 
sat upon my shoulders. I shouted, and the eagle flew away, 
then I entered the dark of the forest. Here I must walk 
softly, lest the head of him I carried should strike against 
the boughs and be smitten from him. 

“ For awhile I went on thus, till I drew near to the heart 
of the forest. Then I heard ,a wolf howl on my right, and 
from the left came answering howls, and these, again, were 
answered by others in front of and behind me. I walked 
on boldly, for I dared not stay, guiding myself by the sun, 
which from time to time shone down on me redly through 
the boughs of the great trees. Now I could see forms grey 
and black slinking near my path, snifiing at the air as they 
went, and now I came to a little open place, and, behold ! all 
the wolves in the world were gathered together there. My 
heart melted, my legs trembled beneath me. On every side 
were the brutes, great and hungry. I stood still, with club 
aloft, and slowly they crept up, muttering and growling as 
they came, till they formed a deep circle round me. Yet 
they did not spring on me, only drew nearer and ever nearer. 
Presently one sprang, indeed, but not at me ; he sprang at 





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Now I knew that I had no more to fear, for I was king 
of the ghost-wolves. ’ 


GALAZI BECOMES KING OF THE WOLVES in 

that which sat upon my shoulders. I moved aside, and he 
missed his aim, and, coming to the ground again, stood there 
growling and whining like a beast afraid. Then I remem- 
bered the words of my dream, if dream it were, how that 
the Dead One had given me wisdom that I should be 
king of the ghost-wolves — I and another whom a lion should 
bear to me. Was it not so ? If it was not so, how came 
it that the wolves did not devour me ? 

‘^For a moment I stood thinking, then I lifted up my 
voice and howled like a wolf, and lo! Umslopogaas, all 
the wolves howled in answer with a mighty howling. I 
stretched out my hand and called to them. They ran to 
me, gathering round me as though to devour me. But 
they did not harm me ; they licked my legs with their red 
tongues, and fighting to come near me, pressed themselves 
against me as does a cat. One, indeed, snatched at him 
who sat on my shoulder, but I struck him with the Watcher 
and he slunk back like a whipped hound; moreover, the 
others bit him so that he yelled. How I knew that I had 
no more to fear, for I was king of the ghost-wolves, so I 
walked on, and with me came all the great pack of them. 
I walked on and on, and they trotted beside me silently, 
and the fallen leaves crackled beneath their feet, and the 
dust rose up about them, till at length I reached the edge 
of the forest. 

“Howl remembered that I must not be seen thus by men, 
lest they should think me a wizard and kill me. Therefore, 
at the edge of the forest I halted and made signs to the 
wolves to go back. At this they howled piteously, as though 
in grief, but I called to them that I would come again and 
be their king, and it seemed as though their brute hearts 
understood my words. Then they all went, still howling, 
till presently I was alone. 

“And now, Umslopogaas, it is time to sleep; to-morrow 
night I will end my tale.’^ 


II2 


^rADA THE LILY 


CHAPTEE XIV. 

THE WOLF-BKETHKEN. 

Xow, my father, on the morrow night, once again Umslo- 
pogaas and Galazi the Wolf sat by the fire in the mouth of 
their cave, as we sit to-night, my father, and Galazi took up 
his tale. 

I passed on till I came to the river ; it was still full, 
but the water had run down a little, so that my feet found 
foothold. I waded into the river, using the Watcher as a 
staff, and the stream reached to my elbows, but no higher. 
Xow one on the farther bank of the river saw that which 
sat upon my shoulders, and saw also the wolf’s skin on my 
head, and ran to the kraal crying, ^Here comes one who 
walks the waters on the back of a wolf.’ 

So it came about that as I drew towards the kraal all 
the people of the kraal were gathered together to meet me, 
except the old woman, who could not walk so far. But 
when they saw me coming up the slope of the hill, and 
when they knew what it was that sat upon my shoulders, 
they were smitten with fear. Yet they did not run, because 
of their great wonder, only they walked backward before 
me, clinging each to each and saying nothing. I too came 
on silently, till at length I reached the kraal, and before its 
gates sat the old woman basking in the sun of the after- 
noon. Presently she looked up and cried : — 

‘ What ails you, people of my house, that you walk back- 
wards like men bewitched, and who is that tall and deathly 
man who comes toward you ? ’ 

“ But still they drew on backward, saying no word, the 
little children clinging to the women, the women clinging 
to the men, till they had passed the old wife and ranged 
themselves behind her like a regiment of soldiers. Then 
they halted against the fence of the kraal. But I came on 
to the old woman, and lifted him who sat upon my shoulders, 
and placed him on the ground before her, saying, ^ Woman, 
here is your son j I have snatched him with much toil from 


THE WOLF-BRETHREN 


*13 


the jaws of the ghosts — and they are many up yonder — all 
save one foot, which I could not find. Take him now and 
oury him, for I weary of his fellowship.^ 

“ She looked upon that which sat before her. She put 
out her withered hand and drew the bandage from his sunken 
eyes. Then she screamed aloud a shrill scream, and, fling- 
ing her arms about the neck of that Dead One, she cried : 
‘It is my son whom I bore — my very son, whom for twice ten 
years and half a ten I have not looked upon. Greeting, my 
son, greeting ! Now shalt thou find burial, and I with thee 
— ay, I with thee ! ’ 

“ And once more she cried aloud, standing upon her feet 
with arms outstretched. Then of a sudden a foam burst 
from her lips, and she fell forward upon the body of her 
son, and was dead. 

“Now silence came upon the place again for all were 
fearful. At last one cried : ‘ How is this man named who 
has won the body from the ghosts ? ^ 

“ ‘ I am named Galazi,^ I answered. 

“‘Nay,’ said he. ‘The Wolf are you named. Look at 
the wolfs red hide upon his head ! ’ 

“‘lam named Galazi, and the Wolf you have named me,’ 
I said again. ‘ So be it : I am named Galazi the Wolf.’ 

“ ‘ Methinks he is a wolf,’ said he. ‘ Look, now, at his 
teeth, how they grin! This is no man, my brothers, but a wolf.’ 

“ ‘ No wolf and no man,’ said another, ‘but a wizard. None 
but a wizard could have passed the forest and won the lap 
of her who sits in stone forever.’ 

“‘Yes, yes ! he is a wolf — he is a wizard!’ they screamed. 
‘Kill him! Kill the wolf- wizard before he bring the ghosts 
upon us ! ’ And they ran towards me with uplifted spears. 

“ ‘ I am a wolf indeed,’ . I cried, ‘ and I am a wizard 
indeed, and I will bring wolves and ghosts upon you ere all 
is done.’ And I turned and fled so swiftly that soon they 
were left behind me. Now as I ran I met a girl ; a basket 
of mealies was on her head, and she bore a dead kid in her 
hand. I rushed at her howling like a wolf, and I snatched 
the mealies from her head and the kid from her hand. 
Then I fled on, and coming to the river, I crossed it, and for 

1 


JVADA THE LILY 


1 14 

that night I hid myself in the rocks beyond, eating the 
mealies and the flesh of the kid. 

^^On the morrow at dawn 1 rose and shook the dew froiu 
the wolf-hide. Then I went on into the forest and howled 
like a wolf. They knew my voice, the ghost-wolves, and 
howled in answer from far and near. Then I heard the 
pattering of their feet, and they came round 'me by tens and 
by twenties, and fawned upon me. I counted their number ; 
they numbered three hundred and sixty and three. 

^‘Afterwards, I went on to the cave, and I have lived 
here in the cave, Umslopogaas, for nigh upon twelve moons, 
and I have become a wolf-man. For with the wolves I 
hunt and raven, and they know me, and what I bid them 
that they do. Stay, Umslopogaas, now you are strong 
again, and, if your courage does not fail you, you shall see 
this very night. Come now, have you the heart, Umslopo- 
gaas ? 

Then Umslopogaas rose and laughed aloud. “I am 
young in years,’’ he cried, “and scarcely come to the full 
strength of men ; yet hitherto I have not turned my back 
on lion or witch, on wolf or man. Now let us see this impi 
of yours^this impi black and grey, that runs on four legs 
with fangs for spears ! ” 

“You must first bind on the she-wolf’s hide, Umslopo- 
gaas,” quoth Galazi, “ else, before a man could count his fin- 
gers twice there would be little enough left of you. Bind 
it about the neck and beneath the arms, and see that the 
fastenings do not burst, lest it be the worse for you.” 

So Umslopogaas took the grey wolf’s hide and bound it 
on with thongs of leather, and its teeth gleamed upon his 
head, and he took a spear in his hand. Galazi also bound 
on the hide of the king of the wolves, and they went out 
on to the space before the cave. Galazi stood there awhile, 
and the moonlight fell upon him, and Umslopogaas saw 
that his face grew wild and beastlike, that his eyes shone, 
and his teeth grinned beneath his curling lips. He lifted 
up his head and howled out upon the night. Thrice Galazi 
lifted his head and thrice he howled loudly, and yet more 
loud. But before ever the echoes had died in the air, from 


THE WOLF-BRETHREN 


”5 


tliri heights of the rocks above and the depths of the forest 
beneath, from the east and the west, from the north and 
the south, there came bowlings in answer. Nearer they 
grew and nearer ; now there was a sound of feet, and a wolf, 
great and grey, bounded towards them, and after him many 
another. They came to Galazi, they sprang upon him, 
fawning round him, but he beat them down with the 
W^atcher. Then of a sudden they saw Umslopogaas, and 
rushed at him open-mouthed. 

“ Stand and do not move ! ” cried Galazi. “Be not afraid ! 
“1 have always fondled dogs,’’ answered Umslopogaas, 
“ shall I learn to fear them now ? ” 

Yet though he spoke boldly, in his heart he was afraid, 
for this was the most terrible of all sights. The wolves 
rushed on him open-mouthed, from before and from behind, 
so that in a breath he was wellnigh hidden by their forms. 
Yet no fang pierced him, for as they leapt they smelt the 
smell of the skin upon him, and dropped down at his feet 
fawning and licking him. Then Umslopogaas saw that the 
wolves leapt at him no more, but the she-wolves gathered 
round him who wore the she-wolf’s skin. They were great 
and gaunt and hungry, all were full-grown, there were no 
little ones, and their number was so many that he could 
not count them in the moonlight. Umslopogaas, looking 
into their red eyes, felt his heart become as the heart of a 
wolf, and he, too, lifted up his head and howled, and the 
she-wolves howled in answer. 

“ The pack is gathered ; now for the hunt ! ” cried Galazi. 
“Make your feet swift, my brother, for we shall journey far 
to-night. Ho, Blackfang ! ho, Greysnout ! Ho, my people 
black and grey, away ! away ! ” 

He spoke and bounded forward, and with him went 
Umslopogaas, and after them streamed the ghost-wolves. 
They fled down the mountain sides, leaping from boulder to 
boulder like bucks. Presently they stood by a kloof that 
was thick with trees. Galazi stopped, holding up the 
Watcher, and the wolves stopped with him. 

“ I smell a quarry,” he cried ; “in, my people, in !” 

Then the wolves plunged silently into the great kloof, but 

i2 


ATABA THE LILY 


ii6 

Galazi and Umslopogaas drew to the foot of it and waited. 
Presently there came a sound of breaking boughs, and lo ! 
before them stood a buffalo, a bull who lowed fiercely and 
sniffed the air. 

This one will give us a good chase, my brother; see, he is 
gaunt and thin! Ah! that meat is tender which my 
people have hunted to the death ! 

As Galazi spoke, the first of the wolves drew from the 
covert and saw the buffalo; then, giving tongue, they sprang 
towards it. The bull saw also, and dashed down the hill, 
and after him came Galazi and Umslopogaas, and with them 
all their company, and the rocks shook with the music of 
their hunting. They rushed down the mountain side, and 
it came into the heart of Umslopogaas, that he, too, was a 
wolf. They rushed madly, yet his feet were swift as the 
swiftest ; no wolf could outstrip him, and in him was but 
one desire — the desire of prey. Now they neared the bor- 
ders of the forest, and Galazi shouted. He shouted to 
Greysnout and to Blackfang, to Blood and to Deathgrip, and 
these four leaped forward from the pack, running so swiftly 
that their bellies seemed to touch the ground. They passed 
about the bull, turning him from the forest and setting his 
head up the slope of the mountain. Then the chase wheeled, 
the bull leaped and bounded up the mountain side, and on 
one flank lay Greysnout and Deathgrip and on the other lay 
Blood and Blackfang, while behind came the Wolf-Brethren, 
and after them the wolves with lolling tongues. Up the 
hill they sped, but the feet of Umslopogaas never wearied, 
his breath did not fail him. Once more they drew near the 
lap of the Grey Witch where the cave was. On rushed the 
bull, mad with fear. He ran so swiftly that the wolves 
were left behind, since here for a space the ground was 
level to his feet. Galazi looked on Umslopogaas at his 
side, and grinned. 

You do not run so ill, my brother, who have been sick of 
late. See now if you can outrun me ! Who shall touch the 
quarry first ? ’’ 

Now the bull was ahead by two spear-throws. Umslopo- 
gaas looked and grinned back at Galazi. Good ! he cried, 

away ! 




‘ He lifted the spear 


and drove it down between the shoulders.’ 





THE WOLF-BRETHREISr 


117 


They sped forward with a bound, and for awhile it 
seemed to Umslopogaas as though they stood side by side, 
only the bull grew nearer and nearer. Then he put out his 
strength and the swiftness of his feet, and lo ! when he 
looked again he was alone, and the bull was very near. 
Never were feet so swift as those of Umslopogaas. Now 
he reached the bull as he laboured on. Umslopogaas placed 
his hands upon the back of the bull and leaped ; he was on 
him, he sat him as you white men sit a horse. Then he 
lifted the spear in his hand, and drove it down between the 
shoulders to the spine, and of a sudden the great buffalo 
staggered, stopped, and fell dead. 

Galazi came up. ^‘Who now is the swiftest, Galazi,^^ 
cried Umslopogaas, or you, or your wolf host ? 

You are the swiftest, Umslopogaas,’^ said Galazi, gasp- 
ing for his breath. Never did a man run as you run, nor 
ever shall again.” 

1^0 w the wolves streamed up, and would have torn the 
carcase, but Galazi beat them back, and they rested awhile. 
Then Galazi said, “Let us cut meat from the bull with 
a spear.” 

So they cut meat from the bull, and when they had 
finished Galazi motioned to the wolves, and they fell upon 
the carcase, fighting furiously. In a little while nothing 
was left except the larger bones, and yet each wolf had 
but a little. 

Then they went back to the cave and slept. 

Afterwards Umslopogaas told Galazi all his tale, and 
Galazi asked him if he would abide with him and be 
his brother, and rule with him over the wolf-kind, or seek 
his father Mopo at the kraal of Chaka. 

Umslopogaas said that it was rather in his mind to seek 
his sister Nada, for he was weary of the kraal of Chaka, 
]?ut he thought of Nada day and night. 

“ Where, then, is Nada, your sister ? ” asked Galazi. 

“She sleeps in the caves of your people, Galazi; she 
tarries with the Hal aka zi.” 

“Stay awhile, Umslopogaas,” cried Galazi; “stay till 


ii8 


JVADA THE LILY 


we are men indeed. Then we will seek this sister of yours 
and snatch her from the caves of the Halakazi.” 

Now the desire of this wolf-life had entered into the 
heart of Umslopogaas, and he said that it should be so, 
and on the morrow they made them blood-brethren, to be 
one till death, before all the company of ghost wolves, 
and the wolves howled when they smelt the blood of men. 
In all things thenceforth these two were equal, and the 
ghost-wolves hearkened to the voice of both of them. 
And on many a moonlight night they and the wolves hunted 
together, winning their food. At times they crossed the 
river, hunting in the plains, for game was scarce on the 
mountain, and the people of the kraal would come out, 
hearing the mighty howling, and watch the pack sweep 
across the veldt, and with them a man or men. Then 
they would say that the ghosts were abroad and creep 
into their huts shivering with fear. But as yet the Wolf- 
Brethren and their pack killed no men, but game only,^ or, 
at times, elephants and lions. 

Now when Umslopogaas had abode some moons in the 
Witch Mountain, on a night he dreamed of Nada, and 
awakening soft at heart, bethought him that he would 
learn tidings concerning me, his father, Mopo, and what had 
befallen me and her whom he deemed his mother, and Nada, 
his sister, and his other brethren. So he clothed himself, 
hiding his nakedness, and, leaving Galazi, descended to 
that kraal where the old woman had dwelt, and there 
gave it out that he was a young man, a chiefs son from 
a far place, who sought a wife. The people of the kraal 
listened to him, though they held that his look was 
fierce and wild, and one asked if this were Galazi the 
Wolf, Galazi the Wizard. But another answered that this 
was not Galazi, for their eyes had seen him. Umslopogaas 
said that he knew nothing of Galazi, and little of wolves, 
and lo ! while he spoke there came' an impi of fifty men 
and entered the kraal. Umslopogaas looked at the leaders 
of the impi and knew them for captains of Chaka. At 
first he would have spoken to them, but his Ehlose bade 
him hold his peace. So he sat in a corner of the big hut 


THE DEATH OF THE KING'^S SLAYERS 119 


and listened. Presently the headman of the kraal, who 
trembled with fear, for he believed that the impi had been 
sent to destroy him and all that were his, asked the captain 
what was his will. 

A little matter, and a vain,” said the captain. “ We 
^ are sent by the king to search for a certain youth, Umslopo- 
gaas, the son of Mopo, the king’s doctor. Mopo gave 
it out that the youth was killed by a lion near these moun- 
tains, and Chaka would learn if this is true.” 

“We know nothing of the youth,” said the headman. 
“ But what would ye with him ? ” 

“ Only this,” answered the captain, “ to kill him.” 

“That is yet to do,” thought Umslopogaas. 

“ Who is this Mopo ? ” asked the headman. 

“ An evildoer, whose house the king has eaten up — man, 
woman, and child,” answered the captain. 


CHAPTER XV. 

THE DEATH OF THE KING’S SLAYERS. 

When Umslopogaas heard these words his heart was 
heavy, and a great anger burned in his breast, for he 
thought that I, Mopo, was dead with the rest of his house, 
and he loved me. But he said nothing; only, watch- 
ing till none were looking, he slipped past the backs of the 
captains and won the door of the hut. Soon he was clear 
of the kraal, and, running swiftly, crossed the river and 
came to the Ghost Mountain. Meanwhile, the captain 
asked the headman of the kraal if he knew anything of such 
a youth as him for whom they sought. The headman told 
the captain of Galazi the Wolf, but the captain said that 
this could not be the lad, for Galazi had dwelt many moons 
upon the Ghost Mountain. 

“ There is another youth,” said the headman ; “ a stranger, 
fierce, strong and tall, with eyes that shine like spears. He 
is in the hut now ; he sits yonder in the shadow.” 


120 


ATABA THE LILY 


The captain rose and looked into tlie shadow, but Umslo- 
pogaas was gone. 

^^Now this youth is fled,’’ said the headman, “and yet 
none saw him fly ! Perhaps he also is a wizard ! Indeed, 
I have heard that now there are two of them upon the Ghost 
Mountain, and that they hunt there at night with the ghost- 
wolves, but I do not know if it is true.” 

“Now I am minded to kill you,” said the captain in 
wrath, “ because you have suffered this youth to escape me. 
Without doubt it is Umslopogaas, son of Mopo.” 

“It is no fault of mine,” said the headman. “These 
young men are wizards, who can pass hither and thither at 
will. But I say this to you, captain of the king, if you will 
go on the Ghost Mountain, you must go there alone with 
your soldiers, for none in these parts dare to tread upon 
that mountain.” 

“Yet I shall dare to-morrow,” said the captain. “We 
grow brave at the kraal of Chaka. There men do not fear 
spears or ghosts or wild beasts or magic, but they fear 
the king’s word alone. The sun sets — give us food. To- 
morrow we will search the mountain.” 

Thus, my father, did this captain speak in his folly,— rhe 
who should never see another sun. 

Now Umslopogaas reached the mountain, and when he 
had passed the forest — of which he had learned every secret 
way — the darkness gathered, and the wolves awoke in the 
darkness and drew near howling. Umslopogaas howled in 
answer, and presently that great wolf Deathgrip came to 
him. Umslopogaas saw him and called him by his name; 
but, behold ! the brute did not know him, and flew at him, 
growling. Then Umslopogaas remembered that the she- 
wolf’s skin was not bound about his shoulders, and therefore 
it was that the wolf Deathgrip knew him not. Por though 
in the daytime, when the wolves slept, he might pass to and 
fro without the skin, at night it was not so. He had not 
brought the skin, because he dared not wear it in the sight 
of the men of the kraal, lest they should know him for one 
of the Wolf-Brethren, and it had not been his plan to 
seek the mountain again that night, but rather on the morr 


THE DEATH OF THE KING^S SLAYERS 121 


row. Now Umslopogaas knew that his danger was great 
indeed. He beat back Deathgrip with his kerrie, but others 
were behind him, for the wolves gathered fast. Then he 
bounded away towards the cave, and he was so swift of foot 
that the wolves could not catch him, though they pressed 
him hard, and once the teeth of one of them tore his mpo- 
cha. Never before did he run so fast, and in the end he 
reached the cave and rolled the rock to, and as he did so 
the wolves dashed themselves against it. Then he clad 
himself in the hide of the she-wolf, and, pushing aside the 
stone, came out. And, lo ! the eyes of the wolves were 
opened, and they knew him for one of the brethren who 
ruled over them, and slunk away at his bidding. 

Now Umslopogaas sat himself down at the mouth of the 
cave waiting for Galazi, and he thought. Presently Galazi 
came, and in few words Umslopogaas told him all his tale. 

^^You have run a great risk, my brother,” said Galazi. 

What now ? ” 

^^This,” said Umslopogaas: these people of ours are 
hungry for the flesh of men ; let us feed them full on the 
soldiers of Chaka, who sit yonder at the kraal seeking 
my life. I would take vengeance for Mopo, my father, 
and all my brethren who are dead, and for my mothers, 
the wives of Mopo. What say you ? ” 

Galazi laughed aloud. “ That will be merry, my brother,” 
he said. weary of hunting beasts, let us hunt men 
to-night.” 

“Aj, to-night,” said Umslopogaas, nodding. long to 
look upon that captain as a maid longs for her lover’s kiss. 
But first let us rest and eat, for the night is young ; then, 
Galazi, summon our impi.” 

So they rested and ate, and afterwards went out armed, 
and Galazi howled to the wolves, and they came in tens and 
in twenties till all were gathered together. Galazi moved 
among them, shaking the Watcher, as they sat upon their 
haunches, and followed him with their fiery eyes. 

We do not hunt game to-night, little people,” he cried, 

but men, and you love the flesh of men.” 

Now all the wolves howled as though they understood. 


122 


NAD A THE LILY 


Then the pack divided itself as was its custom, the 
she-wolves following Umslopogaas, the dog-wolves fol- 
lowing Galazi, and in silence they moved swiftly down 
towards the plain. They came to the river and swam it, 
and there, eight spear throws away, on the farther side of 
the river stood the kraal. Now the Wolf-Brethren took 
counsel together, and Galazi, with the dog- wolves, went to 
the north gate, and Umslopogaas with the she-wolves to 
the south gate. They reached them safely and in silence, 
for at the bidding of the brethren the wolves ceased from 
their bowlings. The gates were stopped with thorns, but 
the brethren pulled out the thorns and made a passage. As 
they did this it chanced that certain dogs in the kraal heard 
the sound of the stirred boughs, and awakening, caught the 
smell of the wolves that were with Umslopogaas, for the 
wind blew from that quarter. These dogs ran out barking, 
and presently they came to the south gate of the kraal, and 
flev/ at Umslopogaas, who pulled away the thorns. Now 
when the wolves saw the dogs they could be restrained no 
longer, but sprang on them and tore them to fragments, and 
the sound of their worrying came to the ears of the soldiers 
of Chaka and of the dwellers in the kraal, so that they 
sprang from sleep, snatching their arms. And as they came 
out of the huts they saw in the moonlight a man wear- 
ing a wolfs hide rushing across the empty cattle kraal, for 
the grass was long and the cattle were out at graze, and 
with him countless wolves, black and grey. Then they cried 
aloud in terror, saying that the ghosts were on them, and 
turned to flee to the north gate of the kraal. But, behold ! 
here also they met a man clad in a wolfs skin only, and 
with him countless wolves, black and grey. 

Now, some flung themselves to earth screaming in their 
fear, and some strove to run away, but the greater part of 
the soldiers, and with them many of the men of the kraal, 
came together in knots, being minded to die like men at teeth 
of the ghosts, and that though they shook with fear. Then 
Umslopogaas howled aloud, and howled Galazi, and they 
flung themselves upon the soldiers and the people of the 
kraal, and with them came the wolves. Then a crying and 


THE DEATH OF THE KING'^S SLAYERS 


123 


a baying rose up to heaven as the grey wolves leaped and 
bit and tore. Little they heeded the spears and kerries of 
the soldiers. Some were killed, but the rest did not stay. 
Presently the knots of men broke up, and to each man 
wolves hung by twos and threes, dragging him to earth. 
Some few fled, indeed, but the wolves hunted them by 
gaze and scent, and pulled them down before they passed 
the gates of the kraal. 

The Wolf-Brethren also ravened with the rest. Busy was 
the Watcher, and many bowed beneath him, and often the 
spear of Umslopogaas flashed in the moonlight. It was fin- 
ished ; none were left living in that kraal, and the wolves 
growled sullenly as they took their fill, they who had been 
hungry for many days. Now the brethren met, and laughed 
in their wolf joy, because they had slaughtered those who 
were sent out to slaughter. They called to the wolves, bid- 
ding them search the huts, and the wolves entered the huts 
as dogs enter a thicket, and killed those who lurked there, 
or drove them forth to be slain without. Presently a man, 
great and tall, sprang from the last of the huts, where he 
had hidden himself, and the wolves outside rushed on him 
to drag him down. But Umslopogaas beat them hack, for 
he had seen the face of the man : it was that captain whom 
Chaka had sent out to kill him. He beat them back, and 
stalked up to the captain, saying: Greeting to you, captain 
of the king ! Now tell us what is your errand here, beneath 
the shadow of her who sits in stone ? ’’ And he pointed 
with his spear to the grey Witch on the Ghost Mountain, 
on which the moon shone bright. 

Now the captain had a great heart, though he had hidden 
from the wolves, and answered boldly : — 

What is that to you, wizard ? Your ghost- wolves 
have made an end of my errand. Let them make an end 
of me also.” 

‘^Be not in haste, captain,” said Umslopogaas. “ Say, did 
you not seek a certain youth, the son of Mopo ? ” 

“ That is so,” answered the captain. “ I sought one youth, 
and I have found many evil spirits.” And he looked at 
the wolves tearing their prey, and shuddered. 


124 


JVADA THE LILY 


<^Say, captain,” quoth Umslopogaas, drawing back his 
hood of wolfs hide so that the moonlight fell upon his face, 
<<is this the face of that youth whom you sought 
It is the face,” answered the captain, astonished. 

^^Ay,” laughed Umslopogaas, “it is the face. Fool! I 
knew your errand and heard your words, and thus have I 
answered them.” And he pointed to the dead. “Now choose, 
and swiftly. Will you run for your life against my wolves ? 
Will you do battle for your life against these four ? ” And 
he pointed to Greysnout and to Blackfang, to Blood and to 
Deathgrip, who watched him with slavering lips ; “ or will 
you stand face to face with me, and if I am slain, with him 
who bears the club, and with whom I rule this people black 
and grey ? ” 

“ I fear ghosts, but of men I have no fear, though they 
be wizards,” answered the captain. 

“Good!” cried Umslopogaas, shaking his spear. 

Then they rushed together, and that fray was fierce. For 
presently the spear of Umslopogaas was broken in the shield 
of the captain and he was left weaponless. Now Umslopo- 
gaas turned and fied swiftly, bounding over the dead and 
the wolves who preyed upon them, and the captain followed 
with uplifted spear, and mocked him as he came. Galazi 
also wondered that Umslopogaas should fiy from a single 
man. Hither and thither fied Umslopogaas, and always his 
eyes were on the earth. Of a sudden, Galazi, who watched, 
saw him sweep forward like a bird and stoop to the ground. 
Then he wheeled round, and lo ! there was an axe in his 
hand. The captain rushed at him, and Umslopogaas smote 
as he rushed, and the blade of the great spear that was 
lifted to pierce him fell to the ground hewn from its haft. 
Again Umslopogaas smote : the moon-shaped axe sank 
through the stout shield deep into the breast beyond. 
Then the captain threw up his arms and fell to the 
earth. 

“Ah!” cried Umslopogaas, “you sought a youth to slay 
him, and have found an axe to be slain by it ! Sleep softly, 
captain of Chaka.” 

Then Umslopogaas spoke to Galazi, saying: “My brother, 


VENTURING TO WIN THE AXE 


125 


I will fight no more with the spear, but with the axe alone ; 
it was to seek an axe that I ran to and fro like a coward. 
But this is a poor thing ! See, the haft is split because of 
the greatness of my stroke ! Now this is my desire — to 
win that great axe of Jikiza, which is called Groan-Maker, 
of which we have heard tell, so that axe and club may stand 
together in the fray.” 

That must be for another night,” said Galazi. We have 
not done so ill for once. Now let us search for pots and 
corn, of which we stand in need, and then to the mountain 
before dawn finds us.” 

Thus, then, did the Wolf-Brethren bring death on the 
impi of Chaka, and this was but the first of many deaths 
that they wrought with the help of the wolves. For ever 
they ravened through the land at night, and, falling on those 
they hated, they ate them up, till their name and the name 
of the ghost-wolves became terrible in the ears of men, and 
the land was swept clean. But they found that the wolves 
would not go abroad to worry everywhere. Thus, on a cer- 
tain night, they set out to fall upon the kraals of the People 
of the Axe, where dwelt the chief Jikiza, who was named the 
Unconquered, and owned the axe Groan-Maker, but when 
they neared the kraal the wolves turned back and fled. 
Then Galazi remembered the dream that he had dreamed, 
in which the Dead One in the cave had seemed to speak, 
telling him that there only where the men-eaters had hunted 
in the past might the wolves hunt to-day. So they returned 
home, but Umslopogaas set himself to find a plan to win 
the axe. 


CHAPTEB XVI. 

UMSLOPOGAAS VENTURES OUT TO WIN THE AXE. 

Now many moons had gone by since Umslopogaas became 
a king of the wolves, and he was a man full grown, a man 
fierce and tall and keen 5 a sla;5^er of men^ fleet of foot and 


126 


NAD A THE LILY 


of valour unequalled, seeing by night as well as by day. 
But he was not yet named the Slaughterer, and not yet did 
he hold that iron chieftainess, the axe Groan-Maker. Still, 
the desire to win the axe was foremost in his mind, for no 
woman had entered there, who when she enters drives out 
all other desire — ay, my father, even that of good weapons. 
At times, indeed, Umslopogaas would lurk in the reeds by 
the river looking at the kraal of Jikiza the Unconquered, 
and would watch the gates of his kraal, and once as he 
lurked he saw a man great, broad and hairy, who bore upon 
his shoulder a shining axe, hafted with the horn of a 
rhinoceros. After that his greed for this axe entered into 
Umslopogaas more and more, till at length he scarcely 
could sleep for thinking of it, and to Galazi he spoke of 
little else, wearying him much with his talk, for Galazi 
loved silence. But for all his longing he could find no 
means to win it. 

Now it befell that as Umslopogaas hid one evening in 
the reeds, watching the kraal of Jikiza, he saw a maiden 
straight and fair, whose skin shone like the copper anklets 
on her limbs. She walked slowly towards the reeds where 
he lay hidden. Nor did she stop at the brink of the 
reeds; she entered them and sat herself down within a 
spear^s length of where Umslopogaas was seated, and at 
once began to weep, speaking to herself as she wept. 

Would that the ghost-wolves might fall on him and 
all that is his,” she sobbed, ay, and on Masilo also ! I 
would hound them on, even if I myself must next know 
their fangs. Better to die by the teeth of the wolves than 
to be sold to this fat pig of a Masilo. Oh ! if I must 
wed him, I will give him a knife for the bride^s kiss. Oh ! 
that I were lady of the ghost-wolves, there should be a 
picking of bones in the kraal of Jikiza before the moon 
grows young again.” 

Umslopogaas heard, and of a sudden reared himself up 
before the maid, and he was great and wild to look on, and 
the she- wolf’s fangs shone upon his brow. 

^‘The ghost-wolves are at hand, damsel,” he said. ‘^They 
are ever at hand for those who need them.” 



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• I 


VENTURING TO WIN THE AXE 


127 


Now the maid saw him and screamed faintly, then grew 
silent, wondering at the greatness and the fierce eyes of 
the man who spoke to her. 

“Who are you?’^ she asked. “I fear you not, whoever 
you are.’' 

“There you are wrong, damsel, for all men fear me, 
and they have cause to fear. I am one of the Wolf- 
Brethren, whose names have been told of ; I am a wizard of 
the Ghost Mountain. Take heed, now, lest I kill you. It 
, will be of little avail to call upon your people, for my feet 
I are fleeter than theirs.” 

j “I have no wish to call upon my people, Wolf-Man,” she 
] answered. “ And for the rest, I am too young to kill.” 
i “That is so, maiden,” answered Umslopogaas, looking at 
I her beauty. “ What were the words upon your lips as to 
I Jikiza and a certain Masilo ? Were they not fierce words, 

I such as my heart likes well ? ” 

I “It seems that you heard them,” answered the girl. 

, “ What need to waste breath in speaking them again ? ” 

“No need, maiden. Now tell me your story; perhaps I 
i may find a way to help you.” 

“ There is little to tell,” she answered. “ It is a small 
i tale and a common. My name is Zinita, and Jikiza the 
[ Unconquered is my step-father. He married my mother, 
who is dead, but none of his blood is in me. Now he 
would give me in marriage to a certain Masilo, a fat man 
and an old, whom I hate, because Masilo offers many 
cattle for me.” 

“ Is there, then, another whom you would wed, maiden ? ” 
asked Umslopogaas. 

“There is none,” answered Zinita, looking him in the 
eyes. 

“And is there no path by which you may escape from 
Masilo ? ” 

“There is only one path, Wolf-Man — by death. If I die, 
I shall escape ; if Masilo dies, I shall escape ; but to little 
end, for I shall be given to another ; but if Jikiza dies, then 
it will be well. What of that wolf-people of yours, are they 
not hungry, Wolf-Man ? ” 


128 


JVADA THE LILY 


‘‘I cannot bring them here/’ answered Umslopogaas. 

Is there no other way ? 

There is another way/’ said Zinita, if one can be 
found to try it.” And again she looked at him strangely, 
causing the blood to beat within him. “ Hearken ! do you 
not know how our people are governed ? They are 
governed by him who holds the axe Groan-Maker. He 
that can win the axe in war from the hand of him who 
holds it, shall be our chief. But if he who holds the 
axe dies unconquered, then his son takes his place and 
with it the axe. It has been thus, indeed, for four genera- 
tions, since he who held Groan-Maker has always been 
unconquerable. But I have heard that the great-granu- 
father of Jikiza won the axe from him who held it in his 
day ; he won it by fraud. Bor when the axe had fallen 
on him but lightly, he fell over, feigning death. Then 
the owner of the axe laughed, and turned to walk away. 
But the forefather of Jikiza sprang up behind him and 
pierced him through with a spear, and thus he became chief 
of the People of the Axe. Therefore, it is the custom of 
Jikiza to hew off the heads of those whom he kills with 
the axe.” 

“Does he, then, slay many ? ” asked Umslopogaas. 

“Of late years, few indeed,” she said, “for none dare 
stand against him — no, not with all to win. For, holding the 
axe Groan-Maker, he is unconquerable, and to fight with 
him is sure death. Fifty-and-one have tried in all, and 
before the hut of Jikiza there are piled fifty-and-one 
white skulls. And know this, the axe must be won in fight ; 
if it is stolen or found, it has no virtue — nay, it brings 
shame and death to him who holds it.” 

“ How, then, may a man give battle to Jikiza ? ” he asked 
again. 

“ Thus : Once in every year, on the first day of the new 
moon of the summer season, Jikiza holds a meeting of the 
headmen. Then he must rise and challenge all or any to 
come forward and do battle with him to win the axe and 
become chief in his place. How if one comes forward, 
they go into the cattle kraal, and there the matter is ended. 


I 


VENTURING TO WIN THE AXE 


129 


Afterwards, when the head is hewn from his foe, Jikiza 
goes back to the meeting of the headmen, and they talk as 
before. All are free to come to the meeting, and Jikiza 
I must fight with them if they wish it, whoever they be.” 

I Perhaps I shall be there,” said Umslopogaas. 

I “ After this meeting at the new moon, I am to be given 
I in marriage to Masilo,” said the maid. “ But should one 
I conquer Jikiza, then he will be chief, and can give me in 
I marriage to whom he will.” 

Now Umslopogaas understood her meaning, and knew 
that he had found favour in her sight; and the thought 
moved him a little, for women were strange to him as yet. 

“ If perchance I should be there,” he said, and if per- 
chance I should win the iron chieftainess, the axe Groan- 
Maker, and rule over the People of the Axe, you should not 
live far from the shadow of the axe thenceforward. Maid 
Zinita.” 

“It is well, Wolf-Man, though some might not wish to 
dwell in that shadow; but first you must win the axe. 
Many have tried, and all have failed.” 

“ Yet one must succeed at last,” he said, “ and so, fare- 
well!” and he leaped into the torrent of the river, and 
swam it with great strokes. 

Now the maid Zinita watched him till he was gone, and 
love of him entered into her heart — a love that was fierce 
and jealous and strong'. But as he wended to the Ghost 
Mountain Umslopogaas thought rather of axe Groan-Maker 
than of Maid Zinita; for ever, at the bottom, Umslopogaas 
loved war more than women, though this has been his fate, 
that women have brought sorrow on his head. 

Fifteen days must pass before the day of the new moon, 
and during this time Umslopogaas thought much and said 
little. Still, he told Galazi something of the tale, and that 
he was determined to do battle with Jikiza the Unconquered 
for the axe Groan-Maker. Galazi said that he would do well 
to let it be, and that it was better to stay with the wolves 
than to go out seeking for strange weapons. He said also 
that even if he won the axe, the matter might not stay there, 

K 


JVADA THE LILY 


130 

for lie must take the girl also, and his heart boded no good | 
of women. It had been a girl who poisoned his father in 
the kraals of the Halakazi. To all of which Umslopogaas 
answered nothing, for his heart was set both on the axe and 
the girl, but more on the first than the last. 

So the time wore on, and at length came the day of 
the new moon. At the dawn of that day Umslopogaas 
arose and clad himself in a moocha, binding the she-wolf s 
skin round his middle beneath the moocha. In his hand 
he took a stout fighting-shield, which he had made of buf- j 
falo hide, and that same light moon-shaped axe with which j 
he had slain the captain of Chaka. 

“ A poor weapon with which to kill Jikiza the Uncon- 
quered, said Galazi, eyeing it askance. 

“It shall serve my turn,’’ answered Umslopogaas. 

Now Umslopogaas ate, and then they moved together 
slowly down the mountain and crossed the river by a ford, 
for he wished to save his strength. On the farther side of 
the river Galazi hid himself in the reeds, because his face 
was known, and there Umslopogaas bade him farewell, not 
knowing if he should look upon him again. Afterwards 
he walked up to the Great Place of Jikiza. Now when he 
reached the gates of the kraal, he saw that many people 
were streaming through them, and mingled with the people. 
Presently they came to the open space in front of the huts 
of Jikiza, and there the headmen were gathered together. 

In the centre of them, and before a heap of the skulls of 
men which were piled up against his doorposts, sat Jikiza, 
a huge man, a hairy and a proud, who glared about him 
rolling his eyes. Fastened to his arm by a thong of leather 
was the great axe Groan-Maker, and each man as he came 
up saluted the axe, calling it Inkosikaas,” or chieftainess, 
but he did not salute Jikiza. Umslopogaas sat down with 
the people in front of the councillors, and few took any 
notice of him, except Zinita, who moved sullenly to and 
fro bearing gourds of beer to the councillors. Near to Jikiza, 
on his right hand, sat a fat man with small and twinkling 
eyes, who watched the maid Zinita greedily. 

“Yon man,” thought Umslopogaas, “is Masilo. The 
better for blood-letting will you be, Masilo.” 


VENTURING TO WIN THE AXE 


131 

Presently Jikiza spoke, rolling his eyes : This is the 
matter before you, councillors. I have settled it in my 
mind to give my step-daughter Zinita in marriage to Masilo, 
bat the marriage gift ^ not yet agreed on. I demand a 
liundred head of cattle from Masilo, for the maid is fair 
and straight, a proper maid, and, moreover, my daughter, 
though not of my blood. But Masilo offers fifty head only, 
therefore I ask you to settle it.” 

^‘We hear you. Lord of the Axe,” answered one of the 
councillors, ^‘but first, 0 Unconquered, you must on this 
day of the year, according to ancient custom, give public 
challenge to any man to fight you for the Groan-Maker 
and for your place as chief of the People of the Axe.” 

^‘This is a wearisome thing,” grumbled Jikiza. ^^Can I 
never have done in it ? Fifty-and-three have 1 slain in my 
youth without a wound, and now for many years I have chal- 
lenged, like a cock on a dunghill, and none crow in answer. 

Ho, now ! Is there any man who will come forward and 
do battle with me, Jikiza, for the great axe Groan-Maker ? 
To him who can win it, it shall be, and with it the chieftain- 
ship of the People of the Axe.” 

Thus he spoke very fast, as a man gabbles a prayer to a 
spirit in whom he has little faith, then turned once more to 
talk of the cattle of Masilo and of the maid Zinita. But 
suddenly Umslopogaas stood up, looking at him over the 
top of his war shield, and crying, Here is one, 0 Jikiza, 
who will do battle with you for the axe Groan-Maker and 
for the chieftainship that is to him who holds the axe.” 

Now, all the people laughed, and Jikiza glared at him. 

“Come forth from behind that big shield of yours,” he 
said. “ Come out and tell me your name and lineage — you 
who would do battle with the Unconquered for the ancient 
axe.” 

Then Umslopogaas came forward, and he looked so fierce, 
though he was but young, that the people laughed no more. 

“What is my name and lineage to you, Jikiza ? ” he said. 
“Let it be, and hasten to do me battle, as you must by the 
custom, for I am eager to handle the Groan-Maker and to 
sit in. your seat and settle this matter of the cattle of Masilo 

K 2 


132 


JVAVA THE LILY 


the Pig. When I have killed you I will take a name who 
now have none.” 

Now once more the people laughed, but Jikiza grew mad 
with wrath, and sprang up gasping. 

‘‘ What ! ” he said, you dare to speak thus to me, you 
babe un weaned, to me the Unconquered, the holder of 
the axe ! Never did I think to live to hear such talk from 
a long-legged pup. On to the cattle kraal, to the cattle 
kraal, People of the Axe, that I may hew this braggart’s 
head from his shoulders. He would stand in my place, 
would he ? — the place that I and my fathers have held for 
four generations by virtue of the axe. I tell you all, that 
presently I will stand upon his head, and then we will set- 
tle the matter of Masilo.” 

Babble not so fast, man,” quoth Umslopogaas, ^^or if 
you must babble, speak those words which you would say 
ere you bid the sun farewell.” 

Now, Jikiza choked with rage, and foam came from his 
lips so that he could not speak, but the people found this 
sport — all except Masilo, who looked askance at the stran- 
ger, tall and fierce, and Zinita, who looked at Masilo, and 
with no love. So they moved down to the cattle kraal, 
and Galazi, seeing it from afar, could keep away no longer, 
but drew near and mingled with the crowd. 


CHAPTER XVII. 

UMSLOPOGAAS BECOMES CHIEF OF THE PEOPLE OF THE AXE. 

Now, when Umslopogaas and Jikiza the Unconquered 
had come to the cattle kraal, they were set in its centre and 
there were ten paces between them. Umslopogaas was 
armed with the great shield and the light moon-shaped axe, 
Jikiza carried the Groan-Maker and a small dancing shield, 
and, looking at the weapons of the two, people thought that 
this stranger would furnish no sport to the holder of the axe. 
He is ill-armed,” said an old man, it should be other- 


UMSLOPOGAAS BECOMES CHIEF 


133 


wise — large axe, small shield. Jikiza is unconquerable, 
and the big shield will not help this long-legged stranger 
when Groan-Maker rattles on the buffalo hide.” The old 
man spoke thus in the hearing of Galazi the Wolf, and Galazi 
thought that he spoke wisely, and sorrowed for the fate of 
his brother. 

Now, the word was given, and Jikiza rushed on Umslopo- 
gaas, roaring, for his rage was great. But Umslopogaas did 
not stir till his foe was about to strike, then suddenly he 
leaped aside, and as Jikiza passed he smote him hard upon 
the back with the flat of his axe, making a great sound, for 
it was not his plan to try to kill Jikiza with this axe. 
Now, a shout of laughter went up from the hundreds 
of the people, and the heart of Jikiza nearly burst with 
rage because of the shame of that blow. Round he came 
like a bull that is mad, and once more rushed at Umslopo- 
gaas, who lifted his shield to meet him. Then, of a sudden, 
just when the great axe leapt on high, Umslopogaas uttered 
a cry as of fear, and, turning, fled before the face of Jikiza. 
Now once more the shout of laughter went up, while Um- 
slopogaas fled swiftly, and after him rushed Jikiza, blind 
with fury. Round and about the kraal sped Umslopogaas, 
scarcely a spear’s length ahead of Jikiza, and he ran keep- 
ing his back to the sun as much as might be, that he might 
watch the shadow of Jikiza. A second time he sped round, 
while the people cheered the chase as hunters cheer a dog 
which pursues a buck. So cunningly did Umslopogaas run, 
that, though, he seemed to reel with weakness in such 
fashion that men thought his breath was gone, yet he went 
ever faster and faster, drawing Jikiza after him. 

Now, when Umslopogaas knew by the breathing of his foe 
and by the staggering of his shadow that his strength was 
spent, suddenly he made as though he were about to fall 
himself, and stumbled out of the path far to the right, and 
as he stumbled he let drop his great shield full in the way 
of Jikiza’s feet. Then it came about that Jikiza, rushing 
on blindly, caught his feet in the shield and fell headlong 
to earth. Umslopogaas saw, and swooped on him like an 
eagle on a dove. Before men could so much as think, he 


134 


JVABA THE LILY 


had seized the axe Groan-Maker, and with a blow of the 
steel he held had severed the thong of leather which bound 
it to the wrist of Jikiza, and sprung back, holding the 
great axe aloft, and casting down his own weapon upon the 
ground. Now, the watchers saw all the cunning of his fight, 
and those of them who hated Jikiza shouted aloud. But 
others were silent. 

Slowly Jikiza gathered himself from the ground, wonder- 
ing if he were still alive, and as he rose he grasped the 
little axe of Umslopogaas, and, looking at it, he wept. But 
Umslopogaas held up the great Groan-Maker, the iron chief- 
tainess, and examined its curved points of blue steel, the 
gouge that stands behind it, and the beauty of its haft, 
bound about with wire of brass, and ending in a knob like 
the knob of a stick, as a lover looks upon the beauty of his 
bride. Then before all men he kissed the broad blade and 
cried aloud : — 

“ Greeting to thee, my Chieftainess, greeting to thee. Wife 
of my youth, whom I have won in war. Never shall we part, 
thou and I, and together will we die, thou and I, for I am 
not minded that others should handle thee when I am 
gone.” 

Thus he cried in the hearing of men, then turned to 
Jikiza, who stood weeping, because he had lost all. 

“Where now is your pride, 0 Unconquered?” laughed 
Umslopogaas. “ Fight on. You are as well armed as I was 
a while ago, when I did not fear to stand before you.” 

Jikiza looked at him for a moment, then with a curse he 
hurled the little axe at him, and, turning, fled swiftly 
towards the gates of the cattle kraal. 

Umslopogaas stooped, and the little axe sped over him. 
Then he stood for awhile watching, and the people thought 
that he meant to let Jikiza go. But that was not his 
desire; he waited, indeed, till Jikiza had covered nearly half 
the space between him and the gate, then with a roar he 
leaped forward, as light leaps from a cloud, and so fast did 
his feet fly that the watchers scarcely could see them move. 
Jikiza fled fast also, yet he seemed but as one who stands 
still. Now he reached the gate of the kraal, now there was 





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A rush, a light of downward falling steel. 




UMSLOPOGAAS BECOMES CHIEF 


135 


a rush, a light of downward falling steel, and something 
swept past him. Then, behold ! Jikiza fell in the gateway 
of the cattle kraal, and all saw that he was dead, smitten 
to death by that mighty axe Groan-Maker, which he and his 
fathers had held for many years. 

A great shout went up from the crowd of watchers when 
they knew that Jikiza the Unconquered was killed at last, 
and there were many who hailed Umslopogaas, naming him 
Chief and Lord of the People of the Axe. But the sons of 
Jikiza to the number of ten, great men and brave, rushed on 
Umslopogaas to kill him. Umslopogaas ran backwards, 
liftiog up the Groan-Maker, when certain councillors of the 
people flung themselves in between them, crying, ^‘Hold!” 

“Is not this your law, ye councillors,’^ said Umslopo- 
gaas, “that, having conquered the chief of the People of the 
Axe, I myself am chief ? ” 

“That is our law indeed, stranger,” answered an aged 
councillor, “ but this also is our law : that now you must do 
battle, one by one, with all who come against you. So it 
was in my father’s time, when the grandfather of him who 
now lies dead won the axe, and so it must be again to-day.” 

“I have nothing to say against the rule,” said Umslopo- 
gaas. “Now who is there who will come up against me to 
do battle for the axe Groan-Maker and the chieftainship of 
the People of the Axe ? ” 

Then all the ten sons of Jikiza stepped forward as one 
man, for their hearts were mad with wrath because of the 
death of their father and because the chieftainship had 
gone from their race, so that in truth they cared little if they 
lived or died. But there were none besides these, for all men 
feared to stand before Umslopogaas and the Groan-Maker. 

Umslopogaas counted them. “ There are ten, by the head 
of Chaka!” he cried. “Now if I must flght all these one 
by one, no time will be left to me this day to talk of the 
matter of Masilo and of the maid Zinita. Hearken ! What 
say you, sons of Jikiza the Conquered ? If I find one other 
to stand beside me in the fray, and all of you come on at 
once against us twain, ten against two, to slay us or be slain, 
will that be to your minds ? ” 


ATADA THE LILY 


*36 

The brethren consulted together, and held that so the^ 
should be in better case than if they went up one by one. 

^‘So be it,’’ they said, and the councillors assented. 

Now, as he fled round and round, Umslopogaas had seen 
the face of Galazi, his brother, in the throng, and knew that 
he hungered to share the flght. So he called aloud that he 
whom he should choose, and who would stand back to back 
with him in the fray, if victory were theirs, should be the first 
after him among the People of the Axe, and as he called, 
he walked slowly down the line scanning the faces of all, 
till he came to where Galazi stood leaning on the Watcher. 

“Here is a great fellow who bears a great club,” said 
Umslopogaas. “How are you named, fellow?” 

“ I am named Wolf,” answered Galazi. 

“Say, now. Wolf, are you willing to stand back to back 
with me in this fray of two against ten ? If victory is ours, 
you shall be next to me among this people.” 

“Better I love the wild woods and the mountain’s breast 
than the kraals of men and the kiss of wives, Axebearer,” 
answered Galazi. “Yet, because you have shown yourself a 
warrior of might, and to taste again of the joy of battle, I 
will stand back to back with you, Axebearer, and see this 
matter ended.” 

“A bargain. Wolf!” cried Umslopogaas. And they 
walked side by side — a mighty pair ! — till they came to 
the centre of the cattle kraal. All there looked on them 
wondering, and it came into the thoughts of some that 
these were none other than the Wolf-Brethren who dwelt 
upon the Ghost Mountain. 

“Now axe Groan-Maker and club Watcher are come 
together, Galazi,” said Umslopogaas as they walked, “and 
I think that few can stand before them.” 

“ Some shall find it so,” answered Galazi. “ At the least, 
the fray will be merry, and what matter how frays end ? ” 

“Ah,” said Umslopogaas, “victory is good, but death 
ends all and is best of all.” 

Then they spoke of the fashion in which they should 
fight, and Umslopogaas looked curiously at the axe he car- 
ried, and at the point on its hammer, balancing it in his 


UMSLOPOGAAS BECOMES CHIEF 


137 


hand. When he had looked long, the pair took their stand 
back to back in the centre of the kraal, and people saw that 
Unislopogaas held the axe in a new fashion, its curved blade 
being inwards towards his breast, and the hollow point 
turned towards the foe. The ten brethren gathered them- 
selves together, shaking their assegais ; five of them stood 
before Umslopogaas and five before Galazi the Wolf. 
They were all great men, made fierce with rage and shame. 

^^Now nothing except witchcraft can save these two,” 
said a councillor to one who stood by him. 

^^Yet there is virtue in the axe,” answered the other, 

and for the club, it seems that I know it ; I think it is 
named Watcher of the Fords, and woe to those who stand 
before the Watcher. I myself have seen him aloft when I 
was young ; moreover, these are no cravens who hold the 
axe and club. They are but lads, indeed, yet they have 
drunk wolf’s milk.” 

Meanwhile, an aged man drew near to speak the word of 
onset ; it was that same man who had set out the law to 
Umslopogaas. He must give the signal by throwing up a 
spear, and when it struck the ground, then the fight should 
begin. The old man took the spear and threw it, but his 
hand was'weak, and he cast so clumsily that it fell among 
the sons of Jikiza, who stood before Umslopogaas, causing 
them to open up to let it pass between them, and drawing 
the eyes Of all ten of them to it. But Umslopogaas watched 
for the touching of the spear only, being careless where it 
touched. As the point of it kissed the earth, he said a 
word, and lo ! Umslopogaas and Galazi, not waiting for the 
onslaught of the ten, as men had thought they must, sprang 
forward, each at the line of foes who were before him. 
While the ten still stood confused, for it had been their 
plan to attack, the Wolf-Brethren were on them. Groan- 
Maker was up, but as for no great stroke. He did but peck, 
as a bird pecks with his bill, and yet a man dropped dead. 
The Watcher also was up, but he fell like a falling tree, 
and was the death of one. Through the lines of the ten 
passed the Wolf-Brethren in the gaps that each had made. 
Then they turned swiftly and charged towards each other 


JVADA THE LILY 


138 

again; again Groan-Maker pecked, again the Watcher thun- 
dered, and lo! once more Umslopogaas and Galazi stood 
back to back unhurt, but before them lay four men dead. 

The onslaught and the return were so swift, that men 
scarcely understood what had been done ; even those of the 
sons of Jikiza who were left stared at each other wondering. 
Then they knew that they were but six, for four of them 
were dead. With a shout of rage they rushed upon the 
pair from both sides, but in either case one was the most 
eager, and outstepped the other two, and thus it came about 
that time was given the Wolf-Brethren to strike at him 
alone, before his fellows were at his side. He who came at 
Umslopogaas drove at him with his spear, but he was not to 
be caught thus, for he bent his middle sideways, so that the 
spear only cut his skin, and as he bent tapped with the 
point of the axe at the head of the smiter, dealing death 
on him. 

“Yonder Woodpecker has a bill of steel, and he can use 
it well,’’ said the councillor to him who stood by him. 

“ This is a Slaughterer indeed,” the man answered, and the 
people heard the names. Thenceforth they knew Umslopo- 
gaas as the Woodpecker, and as Bulalio, or the Slaughterer, 
and by no other names. Now, he who came at Galazi the 
Wolf rushed on wildly, holding his spear short. But Galazi 
was cunning in war. He took one step forward to meet him, 
then, swinging the Watcher backward, he let him fall at the 
full length of arms and club. The child of Jikiza lifted his 
shield to catch the blow, but the shield was to the Watcher 
what a leaf is to the wind. Full on its hide the huge club 
fell, making a loud sound ; the war-shield doubled up like 
a raw skin, and he who bore it fell crushed to the earth. 

Now for a moment, the four who were left of the sons of 
Jikiza hovered round the pair, feinting at them from afar, 
but never coming within reach of axe or club. One threw 
a spear indeed, and though Umslopogaas leaped aside, and 
as it sped towards him smote the haft in two with the blade 
of Groan-Maker, yet its head flew on, wounding . Galazi in 
the flank. Then he who had thrown the spear turned to 
fly, or his hands were empty, and the others followed 


UMSLOPOGAAS BECOMES CHIEF 


139 


swiftly, for the heart was out of them, and they dared to 
do battle with these two no more. 

Thus the fight was ended, and from its beginning till the 
finish was not longer than the time in which men might count 
a hundred slowly. 

^^It seems that none are left for us to kill, Galazi,’^ said 
Umslopogaas, laughing aloud. “Ah, that was a curuiing 
fight ! Ho ! you sons of the Unconquered, who run so fast, 
stay your feet. I give you peace ; you shall live to sweep 
my huts and to plough my fields with the other women of my 
kraal. How, councillors, the fighting is done, so let us to 
the chief’s hut, where Masilo waits us,” and he turned 
and went with Galazi, and after him followed all the people, 
wondering and in silence. 

When he reached the hut Umslopogaas sat himself down 
in the place where Jikiza had sat that morning, and the 
maid Zinita came to him with a wet cloth and washed 
the wound that the spear had made. He thanked her; 
then she would have washed Galazi’s wound also, and 
this was deeper, but Galazi bade her to let him be roughly, 
as he would have no woman meddling with his wounds. 
For neither then nor at any other time did Galazi turn to 
women, but he hated Zinita most of them all. 

Then Umslopogaas spoke to Masilo the Pig, who sat 
before him with a frightened face, saying, “It seems, O 
Masilo, that you have sought this maid Zinita in marriage, 
and against her will, persecuting her. How I had intended 
to kill you as an offering to her anger, but there has been 
enough blood-letting to-day. Yet you shall give a marriage 
gift to this girl, whom I myself will take in marriage : you 
shall give a hundred head of cattle. Then get you gone 
from among the People of the Axe, lest a worse thing befall 
you, Masilo the Pig.” 

So Masilo rose up and went, and his face was green with 
fear, but he paid the hundred head of cattle and fled 
towards the kraal of Chaka. Zinita watched him go, and 
she was glad of it, and because the Slaughterer had named 
her for his wife. 

“ I am well rid of Masilo,” she said aloud, in the hearing 


140 


JVADA THE LILY 


of Galazi, but I bad been better pleased to see him dead 
before me.’’ 

This woman has a fierce heart,” thought Galazi, “ and 
she will bring no good to Umslopogaas, my brother.” 

Now the councillors and the captains of the People of 
the Axe konzaed to him whom they named the Slaughterer, 
doing homage to him as chief and holder of the axe, and 
also they did homage to the axe itself. So Umslopogaas 
became chief over this people, and their number was many, 
and he grew great and fat in cattle and wives, and none 
dared to gainsay him. From time to time, indeed, a man 
ventured to stand up before him in fight, but none could 
conquer him, and in a little while no one sought to face 
Groan-Maker when he lifted himself to peck. 

Galazi also was great among the people, but dwelt with 
them little, for best he loved the wild woods and the 
mountain’s breast, and often, as of old, he swept at night 
across the forest and the plains, and the howling of the 
ghost-wolves went with him. 

But henceforth Umslopogaas the Slaughterer hunted very 
rarely with the wolves at night ; he slept at the side of 
Zinita, and she loved him much and bore him children. 


CHAPTER XVIII. 

THE CURSE OF BALEKA. 

Now, my father, my story winds back again as a river 
bends towards its source, and I tell of those events which 
happened at the king’s kraal of Gibamaxegu, which you 
white people name Gibbeclack, the kraal that is called 
‘‘Pick-out-the-old-men,” for it was there that Chaka mur- 
dered all the aged who were unfit for war. 

After I, Mopo, had stood before the king, and he had 
given me new wives and fat cattle and a kraal to dwell in, 
the bones of Unandi, the Great Mother Elephant, Mother of 
the Heavens, were gathered together from the ashes of my 


THE CURSE OF BALEKA 


141 


huts, and because all could not be found, some of the 
bones of my wives were collected also to make up the 
number. But Chaka never knew this. When all were 
brought together, a great pit was dug and the bones were 
set out in order in the pit and buried ; but not alone, for 
round them were placed twelve maidens of the servants of 
Unandi, and these maidens were covered over with the 
earth, and left to die in the pit by the bones of Unandi, 
their mistress. Moreover, all those who were present at 
the burial were made into a regiment and commanded that 
they should dwell by the grave for the space of a year. They 
were many, my father, but I was not one of them. Also 
Chaka gave orders that no crops should be sown that 
year, that the milk of the cows should be spilled upon the 
ground, and that no woman should give birth to a child for 
a full year, and that if any should dare to bear children, 
then that they should be slain and their husbands with 
them. And for a space of some months these things were 
done, my father, and great sorrow came upon the land. 

Then for a little while there was quiet, and Chaka went 
about heavily, and he wept often, and we who waited on 
him wept also as we walked, till at length it came about 
by use that we could weep without ceasing for many hours. 
No angry woman can weep as we wept in those days; it 
was an art, my father, for the teaching of which I received 
many cattle, for woe to him who had no tears in those days. 
Then it was also that Chaka sent out the captain and fifty 
soldiers to search for Umslopogaas, for, though he said 
nothing more to me of this matter, he did not believe all 
the tale that I had told him of the death of Umslopogaas 
in the jaws of a lion and the tale of those who were with 
me. How that company fared at the hands of Umslopogaas 
and of Galazi the Wolf, and at the fangs of the people black 
and grey, I have told you, my father. None of them ever 
came back again. In after days it was reported to the king 
that these soldiers were missing, never having returned, 
but he only laughed, saying that the lion which ate Umslo- 
pogaas, son of Mopo, was a fierce one, and had eaten them 
also. 


142 


JVADA THE LILY 


At last came the night of the new moon, that dreadful 
night to be followed by a more dreadful morrow. I sat in 
the kraal of Chaka, and he put his arm about my neck and 
groaned and wept for his mother, whom he had murdered, 
and I groaned also, but I did not weep, because it was dark, 
and on the morrow I must weep much in the sight of the 
king and men. Therefore, I spared my tears, lest they 
should fail me in my need. 

All night long the people drew on from every side 
towards the kraal, and, as they came in thousands and tens 
of thousands, they filled the night with their cries, till it 
seemed as though the whole world were mourning, and 
loudly. None might cease their crying, and none dared 
to drink so much as a cup of water. The daylight came, 
and Chaka rose, saying, ‘‘Come, let us go forth, Mopo, 
and look on those who mourn with us.’^ So we went out, 
and after us came men armed with clubs to do the bidding 
of the king. 

Outside the kraal the people were gathered, and their 
number was countless as the leaves upon the trees. On 
every side the land was black with them, as at times the 
veldt is black with game. When they saw the king they 
ceased from their howling and sang the war-song, then once 
again they howled, and Chaka walked among them weep- 
ing. Now, my father, the sight became dreadful, for, as 
the sun rose higher the day grew hot, and utter weariness 
came upon the people, who were packed together like herds 
of cattle, and, though oxen slain in sacrifice lay around, 
they might neither eat nor drink. Some fell to the ground 
and were trampled to death, others took much snuff to 
make them weep, others stained their eyes with saliva, 
others walked to and fro, their tongues hanging from their 
jaws, while groans broke from their parched throats. 

“Now, Mopo, we shall learn who are the wizards that 
have brought these ills upon us,’’ said the king, “ and who 
are true-hearted men.” 

As he spoke we came upon a man, a chief of renown. 
He was named Zwaumbana, chief of the Amabovus, and with 
him were his wives and followers. This man could weep 


THE CURSE OF BALEKA 143 

no more ; he gasped with thirst and heat. The king looked 
at him. 

See, Mopo,’’ he said, see that brute who has no tears 
for my mother who is dead ! Oh, the monster without a 
heart ! Shall such as he live to look upon the sun, while 
I and thou must weep, Mopo ? Never ! never ! Take him 
away, and all those who are with him ! Take them away, 
the people without hearts, who do not weep because my 
mother is dead by witchcraft ! ’’ 

And Chaka walked on weeping, and I followed also 
weeping, but the chief Zwaumbana and those with him 
were all slain by those who do the bidding of the king, and 
the slayers also must weep as they slew. Presently we 
came upon another man, who, seeing the king, took snuff 
secretly to bring tears to his eyes. But the glance of 
Chaka was quick, and he noted it. 

“Look at him, Mopo,” he said, “look at the wizard who 
has no tears, though my mother is dead by witchcraft. 
See, he takes snuff to bring tears to his eyes that are dry 
with wickedness. Take him away, the heartless brute ! 
Oh, take him away ! ” 

So this one also was killed, and these were but the first 
of thousands, for presently Chaka grew mad with wicked- 
ness, with fury, and with the lust of blood. He walked to 
and fro weeping, going now and again into his hut to drink 
beer, and I with him, for he said that we who sorrowed must 
have food. And ever as he walked he would wave his arm 
or his assegai, saying, “ Take them away, the heartless 
brutes, who do not weep because my mother is dead,” and 
those who chanced to stand before his arm were killed, till 
at length the slayers could slay no more, and themselves 
were slain, because their strength had failed them, and they 
had no more tears. And I also, I must slay, lest if I slew 
not I should myself be slain. 

And now, at length, the people also went mad with their 
thirst and the fury of their fear. They fell upon each 
other, killing each other ; every man who had a foe sought 
him out and killed him. None were spared, the place was 
but a shambles ; there on that day died full seven thousand 


144 


JVADA THE LILY 


men, and still Chaka walked weeping among them, saying. 

Take them away, the heartless brutes, take them away ! ” 
Yet, my father, there was cunning in his cruelty, for though 
he destroyed many for sport alone, also he slew on this day 
all those whom he hated or whom he feared. 

At length the night came down, the sun sank red that 
day, all the sky was like blood, and blood was all the earth 
beneath. Then the killing ceased, because none had now 
the strength to kill, and the people lay panting in heaps 
upon the ground, the living and the dead together. I looked 
at them, and saw that if they were not allowed to eat and 
drink, before day dawned again the most of them would be 
dead, and I spoke to the king, for I cared little in that hour 
if I lived or died ; even my hope of vengeance was forgotten 
in the sickness of my heart. 

A mourning indeed, 0 King,^’ I said, a merry mourn- 
ing for true-hearted men, but for wizards a mourning such 
as they do not love. I think that thy sorrows are avenged, 
0 King, thy sorrows and mine also.’^ 

^^Not so, Mopo,^^ answered the king, ^Hhis is but the 
beginning; our mourning was merry to-day, it shall be 
merrier to-morrow.” 

“To-morrow, 0 King, few will be left to mourn; for 
the land will be swept of men.” 

“Why, Mopo, son of Makedama? But a few have 
perished of all the thousands who are gathered together. 
Number the people and they will not be missed.” 

“ But a few have died beneath the assegai and the kerrie, 
0 King. Yet hunger and thirst shall finish the spear’s work. 
The people have neither eaten nor drunk for a day and a 
night, and for a day and a night they have wailed and 
moaned. Look without. Black One, there they lie in heaps 
with the dead. By to-morrow’s light they also will be dead 
or dying.” 

Now, Chaka thought awhile and he saw that the work 
would go too far^ leaving him but a small people over 
whom to rule. 

“It is hard, Mopo,” he said, “that thou and I must 
mourn alone over our woes while these dogs feast and make 


THE CURSE OF BALEKA 


I4S 

merry. Yet, because of the gentleness of my heart, I will 
deal gently with them. Go out, son of Makedama, and 
bid my children eat and drink if they have the heart, for 
this mourning is ended. Scarcely will Unandi, my mother, 
sleep well, seeing that so little blood has been shed upon 
her grave — surely her spirit will haunt my dreams. Yet, 
because of the gentleness of my heart, I declare this mourn- 
ing ended. Let my children eat and drink, if, indeed, they 
have the heart.” 

“ Happy are the people over whom such a king is set,” I 
said in answer. Then I went out and told the words of 
Chaka to the chiefs and captains, and those of them who 
had the voice left to them praised the goodness of the king. 
But the most gave over sucking the dew from their sticks, 
and rushed to the water like cattle that have wandered five 
days in the desert, and drank their fill. Some of them were 
trampled to death in the water. 

Afterwards I slept as I might best ; it was not well, my 
father, for I knew that Chaka was not yet glutted with 
slaughter. 

On the morrow many of the people went back to their 
homes, having sought leave from the king, others drew away 
the dead to the place of bones, and yet others were sent out 
in impis to kill such as had not come to the mourning of 
the king. When midday was past, Chaka said that he would 
walk, and ordered me and other of his indunas and ser- 
vants to walk with him. We went on in silence, the king 
leaning on my shoulder as on a stick. “ What of thy peo- 
ple, Mopo,” he said at length, ^^what of the Langeni 
tribe ? Were they at my mourning ? I did not see them.” 

Then I answered that I did not know, they had been sum- 
moned, but the way was long and the time short for so many 
to march so far. 

Dogs should run swiftly when their master calls, Mopo, 
my servant,” said Chaka, and the dreadful light came 
into his eyes that never shone in the eyes of any other 
man. Then I grew sick at heart, my father — ay, though 
I loved my people little, and they had driven me away, 
I grew sick at heart. Now we had come to a spot where 

L 


146 


NADA 2HE LILY 


there is a great rift of black rock, and the name of that rift 
is U’Donga-lu-ka-Tatiyana. On either side of this donga 
the ground slopes steeply down towards its yawning lips, 
and from its end a man may see the open country. Here 
Chaka sat down at the end of the rift, pondering. Pres- 
ently he looked up and saw a vast multitude of men, women, 
and children, who wound like a snake across the plain be- 
neath towards the kraal Gibamaxegu. 

think, Mopo,” said the king, ^Hhat by the colour 
of their shields, yonder should be the Langeni tribe — 
thine own people, Mopo.’’ 

“ It is my people, 0 King,” I answered. 

Then Chaka sent messengers, running swiftly, and bade 
them summon the Langeni people to him where he sat. 
Other messengers he sent also to the kraal, whispering in 
their ears, but what he said I did not know then. 

Now, for a while, Chaka watched the long black snake of 
men winding towards him across the plain till the messen- 
gers met them and the snake began to climb the slope of 
the hill. 

How many are these people of thine, Mopo ? ” asked 
the king. 

I know not, 0 Elephant,” I answered, who have not 
seen them for many years. Perhaps they number three 
full regiments.” 

‘^Nay, more,” said the king; “what thinkest thou, 
Mopo, would this people of thine fill the rift behind us ? ” 
and he nodded at the gulf of stone. 

Now, my father, I trembled in all my flesh, seeing the pur- 
pose of Chaka; but I could find no words to say, for my 
tongue clave to the roof of my mouth. 

“The people are many,” said Chaka, “yet, Mopo, I bet 
thee fifty head of cattle that they will not fill the donga.” 

“ The king is pleased to jest,” I said. 

“ Yea, Mopo, I jest ; yet as a jest take thou the bet.” 

“As the king wills,” 1 murmured — who could not refuse. 
Now the people of my tribe drew near: at their head was 
an old man, with white hair and beard, aud, looking at him, 
1 knew him for my father, Makedama. When he came 


THE CURSE OF BALEKA 


147 


within earshot of the king, he gave him the royal salute 
of BayHe^ and fell upon his hands and knees, crawling 
towards him, and Tconsaed to the king, praising him as he 
came. All the thousands of the people also fell upon their 
hands and knees, and praised the king aloud, and the sound 
of their praising was like the sound of a great thunder. 

At length Makedama, my father, writhing on his breast 
like a snake, lay before the majesty of the king. Cliaka 
bade him rise, and greeted him kindly ; but all the thou- 
sands of the people yet lay upon their breasts beating the 
dust with their heads. 

“ Rise, Makedama, my child, father of the people of the 
Langeni,’’ said Chaka, “ and tell me why art thou late in 
coming to my mourning ? ” 

^^The way was far, 0 King,’’ answered Makedama, my 
father, who did not know me. ^‘The way was far, and 
the time short. Moreover, the women and the children 
grew weary and footsore, and they are weary in this 
hour.” 

Speak not of it, Makedama, my child,” said the king. 

Surely thy heart mourned and that of thy people, and soon 
they shall rest from their weariness. Say, are they here 
every one ? ” 

Every one, 0 Elephant ! — none are wanting. My kraals 
are desolate, the cattle wander untended on the hills, birds 
pick at the unguarded crops.” 

“It is well, Makedama, thou faithful servant! Yet thou 
wouldst mourn with me an hour — is it not so? Now, 
hearken 1 Bid thy people pass to the right and to the left 
of me, and stand in all their numbers upon the slopes of 
the grass that run down to the lips of the rift.” 

So Makedama, my father, bade the people do the bidding 
of the king, for neither he nor the indunas saw his purpose, 
but I, who knew his wicked heart, I saw it. Then the peo- 
ple filed past to the right and to the left by hundreds and 
by thousands, and presently the grass of the slopes could be 
seen no more, because of their number. When all had 
passed, Chaka spoke again to Makedama, my father, bidding 
him climb down to the bottom of the donga, and thence lift 

L 2 


ATADA THE L/LY 


148 

up his voice in mourning. The old man obeyed the king. 
Slowly, and with much pain, he clambered to the bottom of 
the rift and stood there. It was so deep and narrow that 
the light scarcely seemed to reach to where he stood, for I 
could only see the white of his hair gleaming far down in 
the shadows. 

Then, standing far beneath, he lifted up his voice, and it 
reached the thousands of those who clustered upon the 
slopes. It seemed still and small, yet it came to them 
faintly like the voice of one speaking from a mountain-top 
in a time of snow : — 

Mourn, children of Makedama ! ” 

And all the thousands of the people — men, women, and 
children — echoed his words in a thunder of sound, cry- 
ing:— 

Mourn, children of Makedama! 

Again he cried: — 

“ Mourn, people of the Langeni, mourn with the whole 
world / ” . 

And the thousands answered : — 

Mourn, people of the Langeni, mourn with the whole 
world ! ” 

A third time came his voice : — 

Mourn, children of Makednrua, mourn, people rf the Lan~ 
geni, mourn with the whole world ! 

Howl, ye warriors; weep, ye women; heat your breasts, 
ye maidens; sob, ye little children! 

Drink of the water of tears, cover yourselves with the dust 
of affliction. 

Mourn, 0 tribe of the Langeni, because the Mother of the 
Heavens is no more. 

“ Mourn, children of Makedama, because the Spirit of Fruit- 
fulness is no more. 

Mourn, 0 ye people, because the Lion of the Zulu is left 
desolate. 

Let your tears fall as the rainfalls, let your cries be as the 
cries of women who bring forth. 

For sorrow is fallen ‘like the rain, the world has conceived 
and brought forth death. 


THE CURSE OF BALEKA 


149 


“ Qreai darkness is upon us, darkness and the shadow of 
death. 

“ The Lion of the Zulu wanders and wanders in desolation, 
because the Mother of the Heavens is no more. 

“TFAo shall bring him comfort f There is comfort in the 
trying of his children. 

Mourn, people of the Langeni; let the voice of your 
mourning beat against the skies and rend them. 

‘‘ Ou-ai ! Ou-ai I Ou-ai ! ” 

Thus sang the old man, my father Makedama, far down 
in the deeps of the cleft. He sang it in a still, small voice, 
but, line after line, his song was caught up by the thou- 
sands who stood on the slopes above, and thundered to 
the heavens till the mountains shook with its sound. 
Moreover, the noise of their crying opened the bosom of a 
heavy rain-cloud that had gathered as they mourned, and 
the rain fell in great slow drops, as though the sky also 
wept, and with the rain came lightning and the roll of 
thunder. 

Chaka listened, and large tears coursed down his cheeks, 
whose heart was easily stirred by the sound of song. 
Now the rain hissed fiercely, making as it were a curtain 
about the thousands of the people ; but still their cry went 
up through the rain, and the roll of the thunder was lost in 
it. Presently there came a hush, and I looked to the right. 
There, above the heads of the people, coming over the brow 
of the hill, were the plumes of warriors, and in their hands 
gleamed a hedge of spears. I looked to the left ; there 
also I saw the plumes of warriors dimly through the falling 
rain, and in their hands a hedge of spears. I looked before 
me, towards the end of the cleft ; there also loomed the 
plumes of warriors, and in their hands was a hedge of spears. 

Then from all the people there arose another cry, a cry of 
terror and of agony. 

^^Ah! now they mourn indeed, Mopo,” said Chaka in 
my ear ; now thy people mourn from the heart and not 
with the lips alone.” 

As he spoke the multiturles of the people on either side 


50 


JVADA THE LILY 


of the rift surged forward like a wave, surged back again, 
once more surged forward, then, with a dreadful crying, 
driven on by the merciless spears of the soldiers, they 
began to fall in a torrent of men, women, and children, far 
into the black depths below. 

***** 

My father, forgive me the tears that fall from these blind 
eyes of mine ; I am very aged, I am but as a little child, 
and as a little child I weep. I cannot tell it. At last it 
was done, and all grew still. 

***** 

Thus was Makedama buried beneath the bodies of his 
people ; thus was ended the tribe of the Langeni ; as my 
mother had dreamed, so it came about ; and thus did Chaka 
take vengeance for that cup of milk, which was refused 
to him many a year before. 

Thou hast not won thy bet, Mopo,’’ said the king pres- 
ently. ^‘See here is a little space where one more may 
find room to sleep. Full to the brim is this corn-chamber 
with the ears of death, in which no living grain is left. 
Yet there is one little space, and is there not one to fill it ? 
Are all the tribe of the Langeni dead indeed ? 

‘‘ There is one, 0 King ! ” I answered. am of the tribe 
of the Langeni, let my carcase fill the place.’’ 

^‘Kay, Mopo, nay! Who then should take the bet? 
Moreover, I slay thee not, for it is against my oath. Also, 
do we not mourn together, thou and I ? ” 

“ There is no other left living of the tribe of the Langeni, 
O King ! The bet is lost ; it shall be paid.” 

I think that there is another,” said Chaka. There is a 
sister to thee and me, Mopo. Ah, see, she comes ! ” 

I looked up, my father, and I saw this : I saw Baleka, my 
sister, walking towards us, and on her shoulders was a 
kaross of wild-cat skins, and behind her were two soldiers. 
She walked proudly, holding her head high, and her step was 
like the step of a queen. Kow she saw the sight of death, 
for the dead lay before her like black water in a sunless 


THE CURSE OF BALEKA 


151 

pool. A moment she stood shivering, having guessed all, 
then walked on and stood before Chaka. 

“ What is thy will with me, 0 King ? ” she said. 

“Thou art come in a good hour, sister,” said Chaka, 
turning his eyes from hers. “ It is thus : Mopo, my ser- 
vant and thy brother, made a bet with me, a bet of cat- 
tle. It was a little matter that we wagered on — as to 
whether the people of the Langeni tribe — thine own tribe, 
Baleka, my sister — would fill yonder place, U’Donga-lu-ka- 
Tatiyana. When they heard of the bet, my sister, the 
people of the Langeni hurled themselves into the rift by 
thousands, being eager to put the matter to the proof. 
And now it seems that thy brother has lost the bet, for 
there is yet place for one yonder ere the donga is full. 
Then, my sister, thy brother Mopo brought it to my mind 
that there was still one of the Langeni tribe left upon 
the earth, who, should she sleep in that place, would turn 
the bet in his favour, and prayed me to send for her. So, 
my sister, as I would not take that which I have not won, 
I have done so, and now do thou go apart and talk with 
Mopo, thy brother, alone upon this matter, as once before 
thou didst talk when a child ivas bom to thee, my sister I ” 

Now Baleka took no heed of the words of Chaka which 
he spoke of me, for she knew his meaning well. Only 
she looked him in the eyes and said : — 

“ 111 shalt thou sleep from this night forth, Chaka, till 
thou comest to a land where no sleep is. I have spoken.” 

Chaka saw and heard, and of a sudden he quailed, grow- 
ing afraid in his heart, and turned his head away. 

“ Mopo, my brother,” said Baleka, “ let us speak together 
for the last time ; it is the king’s word.” 

So I drew apart with Baleka, my sister, and a spear was 
in my hand. We stood together alone by the people of the 
dead, and Baleka threw the corner of the kaross about her 
brows and spoke to me swiftly from beneath its shadow. 

“What did I say to you a while ago, Mopo? It has 
come to pass. Swear to me that you will live on and that 
this same hand of yours shall take vengeance for me.” 

“ I swear it, my sister. ” 


152 


JVADA THE LILY 


Swear to me that when the vengeance is done you will 
seek out my son Umslopogaas if he still lives, and bless 
him in my name.’’ 

I swear it, my sister.” 

Fare you well, Mopo ! We have always loved each other 
much, and now all fades, and it seems to me that once more 
we are little children playing about the kraals of the Lan- 
geni. So may we play again in another land ! Now, Mopo ” 
— and she looked at me steadily, and with great eyes — 
I am weary. I would join the spirits of my people. I hear 
them calling in my ears. It is finished.” 

***** 

For the rest, I will not tell it to you, my father. 


CHAPTEE XIX. 

MASILO COMES TO THE KRAAL DUGUZA. 

That night the curse of Baleka fell upon Chaka, and he 
slept ill. So ill did he sleep that he summoned me to 
him, bidding me walk abroad with him. I went, and we 
walked alone and in silence, Chaka leading the way and 
I following after him. Now I saw that his feet led him 
towards the Donga-lu-ka-Tatiyana, that place where all my 
people lay dead, and with them Baleka, my sister. We 
climbed the slope of the hill slowly, and came to the mouth 
of the cleft, to that same spot where Chaka had stood when 
the people fell over the lips of the rock like water over a 
waterfall. Then there had been noise and crying, now 
there was silence, for the night was very still. The moon 
was full also, and lighted up the dead who lay near to us, 
so that I could see them all ; yes, I could see even the face 
of Baleka, my sister — they had thrown her into the midst of 
the dead. Never had it looked so beautiful as in this hour, 
and yet as I gazed I grew afraid. Only the far end of the 
donga was hid in shadow. 



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‘ 0 people of the Langeni tribe . . I am avenged upon you.’ 



MAS/LO COMES TO THE KRAAL DUGUZA 


153 


^^Thou wouldst not have won thy bet now, Mopo, my 
servant, said Chaka. See, they have sunk together ! The 
donga is not full by the length of a stabbing-spear/’ 

I did not answer, but at the sound of the king’s voice 
jackals stirred and slunk away. 

Presently he spoke again, laughing loudly as he spoke : 

Thou shouldst sleep well this night, my mother, for I have 
sent many to hush thee to thy rest. Ah, people of the 
Langeni tribe, you forgot, but I remembered ! You forgot 
how a woman and a boy came to you seeking food and 
shelter, and you would give them none — no, not a gourd 
of milk. What did I promise you 011 that day, people of 
the Langeni tribe ? Did I not promise you that for every 
drop the gourd I craved would hold I would take the life 
of a man ? And have I not kept my promise ? Do not 
men lie here more in number than the drops of water in a 
gourd, and with them women and children countless as the 
leaves ? 0 people of the Langeni tribe, who refused me 
milk when I was little, having grown great, I am avenged 
upon you ! Having grown great ! Ah ! who is there so 
great as I ? The earth shakes beneath my feet ; when I 
speak the people tremble, when I frown they die — they die 
in thousands. I have grown great, and great I shall remain ! 
The land is mine, far as the feet of man can travel the land 
is mine, and mine are those who dwell in it. And I shall 
grow greater yet — greater, ever greater. Is it thy face, 
Baleka, that stares upon me from among the faces of the 
thousands whom I have slain ? Thou didst promise me that 
I should sleep ill henceforth. Baleka, I fear thee not — at 
the least, thou sleepest sound. Tell me, Baleka — rise from 
thy sleep and tell me whom there is that I should fear!” 
and suddenly he ceased the ravings of his pride. 

Now, my father, while Chaka the king spoke thus, it 
came into my mind to make an end of things and kill him, 
for my heart was mad with rage and the thirst of vengeance. 
Already I stood behind him, already the stick in my hand 
was lifted to strike out his brains, when I stopped also, for 
I saw something. There, in the midst of the dead, I saw an 
arm stir. It stirred, it lifted itself, it beckoned towards 


154 


. NAD A THE LILY 


the shadow which hid the head of the cleft and the piled- 
up corpses that lay there, and it seemed to me that the arm 
was the arm of Baleka. Perchance it was not her arm, 
perchance it was but the arm of one who yet lived among the 
thousands of the dead, say you, my father ! At the least, 
the arm rose at her side, and was ringed with such bracelets 
as Baleka wore, and it beckoned from her side, though her 
cold face changed not at all. Thrice the arm rose, thrice 
it stood awhile in air, thrice it beckoned with crooked 
finger, as though it summoned something from the depths 
of the shadow, and from the multitudes of the dead. Then 
it fell down, and in the utter silence I heard its fall and a 
clank of the brazen bracelets. And as it fell there rose 
from the shadow a sound of singing, of singing wild and 
sweet, such as I had never heard. The words of that song 
came to me then, my father ; but afterwards they passed 
from me, and I remember them no more. Only I know this, 
that the song was of the making of Things, and of the begin- 
ning and the end of Peoples. It told of how the black folk 
grew, and of how the white folk should eat them up, and 
wherefore they were and wherefore they should cease to be. 
It told of Evil and of Good, of Woman and of Man, and of 
how these war against each other, and why it is that they 
war, and what are the ends of the struggle. It told also of 
the people of the Zulu, and it spoke of a place of a Little 
Hand where they should conquer, and of a place where a 
White Hand should prevail against them, and how they 
shall melt away beneath the shadow of the White Hand 
and be forgotten, passing to a land where things do not die, 
but live on forever, the Good with the Good, the Evil with 
the Evil. It told of Life and of Death, of Joy and of Sor- 
row, of Time and of that sea in which Time is but a floating 
leaf, and of why all these things are. Many names also 
came into the song, and I knew but a few of them, yet my 
own was there, and the name of Baleka and the name of 
Umslopogaas, and the name of Chaka the Lion. But a 
little while did the voice sing, yet all this was in the song— 
ay, and much more 5 but the meaning of the song is gone 
from me, though I knew it once, and shall know it again 


MASILO COMES TO THE KRAAL DUGUZA 155 


when all is done. The voice in the shadow sang on till the 
whole place was full of the sound of its singing, and even the 
dead seemed to listen. Chaka heard it and shook with fear, 
but his ears were deaf to its burden, though mine were open. 

The voice came nearer, and now in the shadow there 
was a faint glow of light, like the glow that gathers on the 
six-days’ dead. Slowly it drew nearer, through the shadow, 
and as it came I saw that the shape of the light was the 
shape of a woman. [N’ow I could see it well, and I knew 
the face of glory. My father, it was the face of the Inko- 
sazana-y-Zulu, the Queen of Heaven ! She came towards 
us very slowly, gliding down the gulf that was full of dead, 
and the path she trod was paved with the dead; and as 
she came it seemed to me that shadows rose from the 
dead, following her, the Queen of the Dead — thousands 
upon thousands of them. And, ah ! her glory, my father 
— the glory of her hair of molten gold — of her eyes, that 
were as the noonday sky — the flash of her arms and breast, 
that were like the driven snow, when it glows in the sun- 
set. Her beauty was awful to look on, but I am glad to 
have lived to see it as it shone and changed in the shifting 
robe of light which is her garment. 

Now she drew near to us, and Chaka sank upon the 
earth, huddled up in fear, hiding his face in his hands ; but 
I was not afraid, my father — only the wicked need fear to 
look on the Queen of Heaven. Nay, I was not afraid : I 
stood upright and gazed upon her glory face to face. In 
her hand she held a little spear hafted with the royal wood : 
it was the shadow of the spear that Chaka held in his hand, 
the same with which he had slain his mother and wherewith 
he should himself be slain. Now she ceased her singing, 
and stood before the crouching king and before me, who was 
behind the king, so that the light of her glory shone upon 
us. She lifted the little spear, and with it touched Chaka, 
son of Senzangacona, on the brow, giving him to doom. 
Then she spoke ; but, though Chaka felt the touch, he did 
not hear the words, that were for my ears alone. 

“Mopo, son of Makedama,” said the low voice, stay 
thy hand, the cup of Chaka is not full. When, for the fhird 


156 


JVABA THE LILY 


time, thou seest me riding down the storm, then smiYe, Mopo, 
my child.’’ 

Thus she spoke, and a cloud swept across the face of the 
moon. When it passed she was gone, and once more I was 
alone with Chaka, with the night and the dead. 

Chaka looked up, and his face was grey with the sweat 
of fear. 

Who was this, Mopo ? ” he said in a hollow voice. 

‘‘This was the Inkosazana of the Heavens, she who 
watches ever over the people of our race, 0 King, and who 
from time to time is seen of men ere great things shall 
befall.” 

“ I have heard speak of this queen,” said Chaka. 
“Wherefore came she now, what was the song she sang, 
and why did she touch me with a spear ? ” 

“She came, 0 King, because the dead hand of Baleka 
summoned her, as thou sawest. The song she sang was of 
things too high for me ; and why she touched thee on the 
forehead with the spear I do not know, 0 King ! Perchance 
it was to crown thee chief of a yet greater realm.” 

“Yea, perchance to crown me chief of a realm of death.” 

“ That thou art already. Black One,” I answered, glanc- 
ing at the silent multitude before us and the cold shape of 
Baleka. 

Again Chaka shuddered. “ Come, let us be going, Mopo,” 
he said ; “ now I have learnt what it is to be afraid.” 

“ Early or late. Fear is a guest that all must feast, even 
kings, 0 Earth-Shaker ! ” I answered ; and we turned and 
went homewards in silence. 

Now after this night Chaka gave it out that his kraal of 
Gibamaxegu was bewitched, and bewitched was the land of 
the Zulus, because he might sleep no more in peace, but 
woke ever crying out with fear, and muttering the name of 
Baleka. Therefore, in the end he moved his kraal far away, 
and built tlie great town of Duguza here in Natal. 

Look now, my father ! There on the plain far away is a 
place of the white men — it is called Stanger. There, where 
is the white man’s town, stood the great kraal Duguza. I 


MASILO COMES TO THE KRAAL DUGUZA 


157 


cannot see, for my eyes are dark ; but you can see. Where 
the gate of the kraal was built there is a house ; it is the 
place where the white man gives out justice; that is the 
place of the gate of the kraal, through which Justice never 
walked. Behind is another house, where the white men 
who have sinned against Him pray to the King of Heaven 
for forgiveness ; there on that spot have I seen many a one 
who had done no wrong pray to a king of men for mercy, 
but I have never seen but one who found it. Out the 
words of Chaka have come true: I will tell them to you 
presently, my father. The white man holds the land, he 
goes to and fro about his business of peace where impis ran 
forth to kill ; his children laugh and gather flowers where 
men died in blood by hundreds ; they bathe in the waters 
of the Imbozamo, where once the crocodiles were fed daily 
with human flesh ; his young men woo the maidens where 
other maids have kissed the assegai. It is changed, nothing 
is the same, and of Chaka are left only a grave yonder and 
a name of fear. 

How, after Chaka had come to the Duguza kraal, for a 
while he sat quiet, then the old thirst of blood came on 
him, and he sent his impis against the people of the Pondos,. 
and they destroyed that people, and brought back their 
cattle. But the warriors might not rest ; again they were 
doctored for war, and sent out by tens of thousands to con- 
quer Sotyangana, chief of the people who live north of the 
Limpopo. They went singing, after the king had looked 
upon them and bidden them return victorious or not at all. 
Their number was so great that from the hour of dawn till 
the sun was high in the heavens they passed the gates of 
the kraal like countless herds of cattle — they the uncon- 
quered. Little did they know that victory smiled on them 
no more ; that they must die by thousands of hunger and of 
fever in the marshes of the Limpopo, and that those of 
them who returned should come with their shields in their 
bellies, having devoured their shields because of their rav- 
enous hunger ! But what of them ? They were nothing. 
Dust was the name of one of the great regiments that went 


NADA THE LILY 


158 

out against Sotyangana, and dust they were — dust to be 
driven to death by the breath of Chaka, Lion of the Zulu. 

Now few men remained in the kraal Duguza, for nearly 
all had gone with the impi, and only women and aged 
people were left. Dingaan and Umhlangana, brothers of 
the king, were there, for Chaka would not suffer them to 
depart, fearing lest they should plot against him, and 
he looked on them always with an angry eye, so that they 
trembled for their lives, though they dared not show their 
fear lest fate should follow fear. But I guessed it, and 
like a snake I wound myself into their secrets, and we 
talked together darkly and in hints. But of that presently, 
my father, for I must tell of the coming of Masilo, he 
who would have wed Zinita, and whom Umslopogaas the 
Slaughterer had driven out from the kraals of the People 
of the Axe. 

It was on the day after the impi had left that Masilo 
came to the kraal Duguza, craving leave to speak with the 
king. Chaka sat before his hut, and with him were 
Dingaan and Umhlangana, his royal brothers. I was there 
also, and certain of the indunas, councillors of the king. 
Chaka was weary that morning, for he had slept badly, as 
now he always did. Therefore, when one told him that a 
certain wanderer named Masilo would speak with him, he did 
not command that the man should be killed, but bade them 
bring him before him. Presently there was a sound of 
praising, and I saw a fat man, much worn with travel, who 
crawled through the dust towards us giving the sibonga, 
that is, naming the king by his royal names. Chaka bade him 
cease from praising and tell his business. Then the man sat 
up and told all that tale which you have heard, my father, 
of how a young man, great and strong, came to the place of 
the People of the Axe and conquered Jikiza, the holder 
of the axe, and became chief of that people, and of how he 
had taken the cattle of Masilo and driven him away. Now 
Chaka knew nothing of this People of the Axe, for the 
land was great iii those days, my father, and there were 
many little tribes in itj living far away, of whom the king 
had not even heard ; so he questioned Masilo about them, and 


MAS/LO COMES TO THE KRAAL DUGUZA 159 


of tlie number of their . fighting-men, of their wealth in 
cattle, of the name of the young man who ruled them, and 
especially as to the tribute which they paid to the king. 

Masilo answered, saying that the number of their fight- 
ing-men was perhaps the half of a full regiment, that 
their cattle were many, for they were rich, that they paid 
no tribute, and that the name of the young man was 
Bulalio the Slaughterer — at the least, he was known by that 
name, and he had heard no other. 

Then the king grew wroth. Arise, Masilo,’’ he said, 

and run to this people, and speak in the ear of the people, 
and of him who is named the Slaughterer, saying : ‘ There 
is another Slaughterer, who sits in a kraal that is named 
Duguza, and this is his word to you, 0 People of the Axe, 
and to thee, thou who boldest the axe. Rise up with all 
the people, and with all the cattle of your people, and come 
before him who sits in the kraal Duguza, and lay in his 
hands the great axe Groan-Maker. Rise up swiftly and do 
this bidding, lest ye sit down shortly and for the last 
time of all.’ ” ^ 

Masilo heard, and said it should be so, though the way 
was far, and he feared greatly to appear before him who was 
called the Slaughterer, and who sat twenty days’ journey to 
the north, beneath the shadow of the Witch Mountain. 

Begone,” said the king, and stand before me on the 
thirtieth day from now with the answer of this boy with 
an axe ! If thou standest not before me, then some shall 
3ome to seek thee and the boy with an axe also.” 

So Masilo turned and fled swiftly to do the bidding of 
■Re king, and Chaka spoke no more of that matter. But I 
A^ondered in my heart who this young man with an axe might 
)e ; for I thought that he had dealt with Jikiza and with 
he sons of Jikiza as Umslopogaas would have dealt with 
hem had he come to the years of his manhood. But I also 
aid nothing of the matter. 

Now on this day also there came to me news that my 
rife Macropha and my daughter Nada were dead among 
heir people in Swaziland. It was said that the men of the 
1 The Zulus are buried sitting.— Ed. 


i6o 


JVADA THE LILY 


chief of the Halakazi tribe had fallen on their kraal and put 
all in it to the assegai, and among them Macropha and 
Nada. I heard the news, but I wept no tear, for, my 
father, I was so lost in sorrows that nothing could move 
me any more. 


CHAPTER XX. 

MOPO BARGAINS WITH THE PRINCES. 

Eight-and-twenty days went by, my father, and on the 
nine-and-twentieth it befell that Chaka, having dreamed 
a dream in his troubled sleep, summoned before him certain 
women of the kraal, to the number of a hundred or more. 
Some of these were his women, whom he named his sisters,’’ 
and some were maidens not yet given in marriage ; but all 
were young and fair. Xow what this dream of Chaka’s 
may have been I do not know, or have forgotten, for in 
those days he dreamed many dreams, and all his dreams led 
to one end, the death of men. He sat in front of his hut 
scowling, and I was with him. To the left of him were 
gathered the girls and women, and their knees were weak 
with fear. One by one they were led before him, and stood 
before him with bowed heads. Then he would bid them be 
of good cheer, and speak softly to them, and in the end 
would ask them this question : Hast thou, my sister, a cat 
in thy hut ? ” 

Now, some would say that they had a cat, and some would 
say that they had none, and some would stand still and make , 
no answer, being dumb with fear. But, whatever they said, ; 
the end was the same, for the king would sigh gently and 
say : Fare thee well, my sister ; it is unfortunate for thee 
that there is a cat in thy hut,” or that there is no cat in 
thy hut,” or that thou canst not tell me whether there be 
a cat in thy hut or no.” 

Then the woman would be taken by the slayers, dragged 
without the kraal, and their end was swift. So it went on 
for the most part of that day, till sixty-and-two women 




MOPO BAPGA/ATS IV/TH THE PRINCES i6i 

and girls had been slaughtered. But at last a maiden was 
brought before the king, and to this one her snake had 
given a ready wit ; for when Chaka asked her whether or no 
there was a cat in her hut, she answered, saying that she 
did not know, “but that there was half a cat upon her,” and 
she pointed to a cat’s-skin which was bound about her loins. 

Then the king laughed, and clapped his hands, saying that 
at length his dream was answered ; and he killed no more 
that day nor ever again — save once only. 

That evening my heart was heavy within me, and I cried 
in my heart “ How long ? ” — nor might I rest. So I wan- 
dered out from the kraal that was named Duguza to the great 
cleft in the mountains yonder, and sat down upon a rock 
high up in the cleft, so that I could see the wude lands roll- 
ing to the north and the south, to my right and to my left. 
Kow, the day was drawing towards the night, and the air 
was very still, for the heat was great and a tempest was 
gathering, as I, who am a Heaven-Herd, knew well. The 
sun sank redly, flooding the land with blood; it was as 
though all the blood that Chaka had shed flowed about 
the land which Chaka ruled. Then from the womb of the 
night great -shapes of cloud rose up and stood before the 
sun, and he crowned them with his glory, and in their hearts 
the lightning quivered like a blood of fire. The shadow 
of their wings fell upon the mountain and the plains, and 
beneath their wings was silence. Slowly the sun sank, and 
the shapes of cloud gathered together like a host at the 
word of its captain, and the flicker of the lightning was as 
the flash of the spears of a host. I looked, and my heart 
grew afraid. The lightning died away, the silence deepened 
and deepened till I could hear it, no leaf moved, no bird 
called, the world seemed dead — I alone lived in the dead 
world. 

Now, of a sudden, my father, a bright star fell from the 
height of heaven and lit upon the crest of the storm, and as 
it lit the storm burst. The grey air shivered, a moan ran 
about the rocks and died away, then an icy breath burst 
from the lips of the tempest and rushed across the earth. It 

M 


JVADA THE LILY 


162 

caught the falling star and drove it on toward me, a rushing 
globe of fire, and as it came the star grew and took shape, 
and the shape it took was the shape of a woman. I knew her 
now, my father ; while she was yet far off I knew her — the 
Inkosazana who came as she had promised, riding down the 
storm. On she swept, borne forward by the blast, and oh ! 
she was terrible to see, for her garment was the lightning, 
lightnings shone from her wide eyes and lightnings were in 
her streaming hair, while in her hand was a spear of fire, 
and she shook it as she came. Now she was at the mouth of 
the pass ; before her was stillness, behind her beat the wings 
of the storm, the thunder roared, the rain hissed like snakes ; 
she rushed on past me, and as she passed she turned her 
awful eyes upon me, withering me. She was there! she 
was gone ! but she spoke no word, only shook her flaming 
spear. Yet it seemed to me that the storm spoke, that the 
rocks cried aloud, that the rain hissed out a word in my ear, 
and the word was : — 

Smite, MopoV^ 

I heard in my heart,^or with my ears, what does it mat- 
ter ? Then I turned to look ; through the rush of the. tem- 
pest and the reek of the rain, still I could see her sweeping 
forward high in air. Now the kraal Duguza was beneath 
her feet, and the flaming spear fell from her hand upon the 
kraal and fire leaped up in answer. 

Then she passed on over the edge of the world, seeking 
her own place. Thus, my father, for the third and last 
time did my eyes see the Inkosazana-y-Zulu, or mayhap my 
heart dreamed that I saw her. Soon I shall see her again, 
but it will not be here. 

Tor a while I sat there in the cleft, then I rose and fought 
my way through the fury of the storm back to the kraal 
Duguza. As I drew near the kraal I heard cries of fear 
coming through the roaring of the wind and the hiss of the 
rain. I entered and asked one of the matter, and it was 
told me that fire from above had fallen on the hut of the 
king as he lay sleeping, and all the roof of the hut was 
burned away, but that the rain had put out the fire. 

Then I went on till I came to the front of the great hut, 


MOPO BARGAINS WITH THE PRINCES 163 


and I saw by the light of the moon, which now shone out 
in the heaven, that there before it stood Chaka, shaking 
with fear, and the water of the rain was running down him, 
while he stared at the great hut, of which all the thatch 
was burned. 

I saluted the king, asking him what evil thing had hap- 
pened. Seeing me, he seized me by the arm, and clung to 
me as, when the slayers are at hand, a child clings to his 
father, drawing me after him into a small hut that was near. 

What evil thing has befallen, 0 King ? I said again, 
when light had been made. 

Little have I known of fear, Mopo,’’ said Chaka, yet 
I am afraid now; ay, as much afraid as when once on a 
bygone night the dead hand of Baleka summoned some- 
thing that walked upon the faces of the dead.” 

And what fearest thou, O King, who art the lord of all 
the earth ? ” 

Kow Chaka leaned forward a^d whispered to me ; 
“Hearken, Mopo, I have dreamed a dream. When the 
judgment of those witches was done with, I went and laid 
me down to sleep while it was yet light, for I can scarcely 
sleep at all when darkness has swallowed up the world. 
My sleep has gone from me — that sister of thine, Baleka, 
took my sleep with her to the place of death. I laid me 
down and I slept, but a dream arose and sat by me with a 
hooded face, and showed me a picture. It seemed to me 
that the wall of my hut fell down, and I saw an open place, 
and in the centre of the place I lay dead, covered with many 
wounds, while round my corpse my brothers Dingaan and 
Umhlangana stalked in pride like lions. On the shoulders 
of Umhlangana was my royal kaross, and there was blood on 
the kaross ; and in the hand of Dingaan was my royal spear, 
and there was blood upon the spear. Then, in the vision of 
my dream, Mopo, thou didst draw near, and, lifting thy 
hand, didst give the royal salute of Bayke to these brothers 
of mine, and with thy foot didst spurn the carcase of me, 
thy king. Then the hooded Dream pointed upwards and 
was gone, and I awoke, and lo ! fire burned in the roof of 
my hut. Thus I dreamed, Mopo, and now, my servant^ 


164 


JVAVA THE LILY 


say thou, wherefore should I not slay thee, thou who 
wouldst serve other kings than I, thou who wouldst give 
my royal salute to the princes, my brothers?’’ and he 
glared upon me fiercely. 

As thou wilt, 0 King ! ” I answered gently. Doubt- 
less thy dream was evil, and yet more evil was the omen of 
the fire that fell upon thy hut. And yet ” and I ceased. 

“ And yet — Mopo, thou faithless servant ? ” 

“ And yet, 0 King, it seems to me in my folly that it 
were well to strike the head of the snake and not its tail, 
for without the tail the head may live, but not the tail 
without the head.” 

Thou wouldst say, Mopo, that if these princes die never 
canst thou or any other man give them the royal names. 
Do I hear aright, Mopo ? ” 

‘‘ Who am I that I should lift up my voice asking for 
the blood of princes?” I answered. Judge thou, O 
King ! ” 

Now, Chaka brooded awhile, then he spoke ; Say, Mopo, 
can it be done this night ? ” 

c.“ There are but few men in the kraal, 0 King. All are 
gone out to war ; and of those few many are the servants of 
the princes, and perhaps they might give blow for blow.” 

“ How then, Mopo ? ” 

Kay, I know not, 0 King ; yet at the great kraal beyond 
the river sits that regiment which is named the Slayers. 
By midday to-morrow they might be here, and then ” 

Thou speakest wisely, my child Mopo ; it shall be for 
to-morrow. Go summon the regiment of the Slayers, and, 
Mopo, see that thou fail me not.” 

If I fail thee, 0 King, then I fail myself, for it seems 
that my life hangs on this matter.” 

“ If all the words that ever passed thy lips are lies, yet 
is that word true, Mopo,” said Chaka: “moreover, know 
this, my servant: if aught miscarries thou shalt die no 
common death. Begone ! ” 

“ I hear the king,” I answered, and went out. 

Now, my father, I knew well that Chaka had doomed me 
to die, though first he would use me to destroy the princes. 


MOPO BARGAINS WITH THE PRINCES 165 

But I feared nothing, for I knew this also, that the hour of 
Chaka was come at last. 

Bor a while I sat in my hut pondering, then when all 
men slept I arose and crept like a snake by many paths 
to the hut of Dingaan the prince, who awaited me on that 
night. Following the shadow of the hut, I came to the 
door and scratched upon it after a certain fashion. Pres- 
ently it was opened, and I crawled in, and the door was 
shut again. Now there was a little light in the 'hut, and 
by its flame I saw the two princes sitting side by side, 
wrapped about with blankets which hung before their brows. 

Who is this that comes ? ” said the prince Dingaan. 

Then I lifted the blanket from my head so that they 
might see my face, and they also drew the blankets from 
their brows. I spoke, saying : “ Hail to you, Princes, who 
to-morrow shall be dust ! Hail to you, sons of Senzangacona, 
who to-morrow shall be spirits ! and I pointed towards 
them with my withered hand. 

Now the princes were troubled and shook with fear. 

“What meanest thou, thou dog, that thou dost speak 
to us words of such ill-omen ? ” said the Prince Dingaan 
in a low voice. 

“ Wherefore dost thou point at us with that white and 
withered hand of thine. Wizard?’’ hissed the Prince 
Umhlangana. 

“ Have I not told you, 0 ye Princes ! ” I whispered, “that 
ye must strike or die, and has not your heart failed you ? 
Now hearken ! Chaka has dreamed another dream ; now it 
is Chaka who strikes, and ye are already dead, ye children 
of Senzangacona.” 

“ If the slayers of the king be without the gates, at least 
thou shalt die flrst, thou who hast betrayed us ! ” quoth the 
Prince Dingaan, and drew an assegai from under his kaross. 

“First hear the king’s dream, 0 Prince,” I said; “then, 
if thou wilt, kill me, and die. Chaka the king slept and 
dreamed that he lay dead, and that one of you, the princes, 
Wore his royal karos^s.” 

• “ Who wore the royal kaross ? ” asked Dingaan, eagerly j 
and both looked up, waiting on my words. 


ATADA THE LILY 


1 66 

The Prince Umhlangaua wore it — in the dream of 
Chaka — 0 Dingaan, shoot of a royal stock ! ” I answered 
slowly, taking snuff as I spoke, and watching the two of 
them over the edge of my snuff-spoon. 

Now Dingaan scowled heavily at Umhlangaua; but the 
face of Umhlangaua was as the morning sky. 

“ Chaka dreamed this also,’’ I went on : ‘‘ that one of you, 
the princes, held his royal spear.” 

“Who held the royal spear?” asked Umhlangaua. 

“ The Prince Dingaan held it — in the dream of Chaka — 

0 Umhlangaua, sprung from the root of kings ! — and it 
dripped blood.” 

Now the face of Umhlangaua grew dark as night, but 
that of Dingaan brightened like the dawn. 

“ Chaka dreamed this also : that I, Mopo, your dog, who 
am not worthy to be mentioned with such names, came up 
and gave the royal salute, even the BayeteT 

“To whom didst thou give the Bayete, O Mopo, son of 
Makedama ? ” asked both of the princes as with one breath, 
waiting on my words. 

“I gave it to both of you, 0 twin stars of the morning, 
princes of the Zulu — in the dream of Chaka I gave it to 
both of you.” 

Now the princes looked this way and that, and were silent^ 
not knowing what to say, for these princes hated each other, 
though adversity and fear had brought them to one bed. 

“ But what avails it to talk thus, ye lords of the land,” 

1 went on, “ seeing that, both of you, ye are already as dead 
men, and that vultures which are hungry to-night to-morrow 
shall be filled with meat of the best? Chaka the king is 
now a Doctor of Dreams, and to clear away such a dream , 
as this he has a purging medicine.” 

Now the brows of these brothers grew black indeed, for 
they saw that their fate was on them. 

“These are the words of Chaka the king, O ye bulls 
who lead the herd ! All are doomed, ye twain and I, and 
many another man who loves us. In the great kraal be- ' 
yond the river there sits a regiment: it is summoned — ' 
and then — good-night ! Have ye any words to say to those 



I gave it to both of you O twin stars of the morning 

dream of Chaka I gave it to both of you. 


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MOPO BARGAINS WITH THE PRINCES 167 

yet left upon the earth ? Perhaps it will be given to me 
to live a little while after ye are gone, and I may bring 
them to their ears.” 

Can we not rise up now and fall upon Chaka ? ” asked 
Dingaan. 

“ It is not possible,” I said ; the king is guarded.” 

^‘Hast thou no plan, Mopo?” groaned Umhlangana. 
‘^Methinks thou hast a plan to save us.” 

‘^And if I have a plan, ye Princes, what shall be my 
reward ? It must be great, for I am weary of life, and I 
will not use my wisdom for a little thing.” 

Now both the princes offered me good things, each of them 
promising more than the other, as two young men who 
are rivals promise to the father of a girl whom both would 
wed. I listened, saying always that it was not enough, till 
in the end both of them swore by their heads, and by the 
bones of Senzangacona, their father, and by ma,ny other 
things, that I should be the first man in the land, after 
them, its kings, and should command the impis of the land, 
if I would but show them a way to kill Chaka and become 
kings. Then, when they had done swearing, I spoke, weigh- 
ing my words ; — 

In the great kraal beyond the river, 0 ye Princes, there 
sit, not one regiment but two. One is named the Slayers 
and loves Chaka the king, who has done well by them, giv- 
ing them cattle and wives. The other is named the Bees, 
and that regiment is hungry and longs for cattle and girls ; 
moreover, of that regiment the Prince Umhlangana is the 
general, and it loves him. Now this is my plan — to summon 
the Bees in the name of Umhlangana, not the Slayers in 
the name of Chaka. Bend forward, 0 Princes, that I may 
whisper in your ears.” 

So they bent forward, and I whispered awhile of the death 
of a king, and the sons of Senzangacona nodded their heads 
as one man in answer. Then I rose up, and crept from the 
hut as I had entered it, and rousing certain trusty messen- 
gers, I dispatched them, running swiftly through the night 


ATADA 2 HE LILY 


1 68 


CHAPTEE XXI. 

THE DEATH OF CHAKA. 

Xow, on the morrow, two hours before midday, Chaka 
came from the hut where he had sat through the night, 
and moved to a little kraal surrounded by a fence that was 
some fifty paces distant from the hut. Eor it was my duty, 
day by day, to choose that place where the king should sit 
to hear the counsel of his indunas, and give judgment on 
those whom he would kill, and to-day I had chosen this 
place. Chaka went alone from his hut to the kraal, and, for 
my own reasons, I accompanied him, walking after him. As 
we went the king glanced back at me over his shoulder, 
and said in a low voice : — 

“Is all prepared, Mopo ? ’’ 

“All is prepared. Black One,” I answered. “The regi- 
ment of the Slayers will be here by noon.” 

“ Where are the princes, Mopo ? ” asked the king again. 

“ The princes sit with their wives in the houses of their 
women, 0 King,” I answered ; “ they drink beer and sleep in 
the laps of their wives.” 

Chaka smiled grimly, “ For the last time, Mopo ! ” 

“ For the last time, 0 King.” 

We came to the kraal, and Chaka sat down in the shade 
of the reed fence, upon an ox-hide that was brayed soft. 
Near to him stood a girl holding a gourd of beer ; 
there were also present the old chief Inguazonca, brother 
of Unandi, Mother of the Heavens, and the chief Umxa- 
mama, whom Chaka loved. AVhen we had sat a little 
while in the kraal, certain men came in bearing cranes’ 
feathers, which the king had sent them to gather a month’s 
journey from the kraal Duguza, and they were admitted 
before the king. These men had been away long upon 
their errand, and Chaka was angry with them. Now the 
leader of the men was an old captain of Chaka’s, who had 
fought under him in many battles, but whose service was 


THE DEATH OF CHAKA 169 

done, because his right hand had been shorn away by the 
blow of an axe. He was a great man and very brave. 

Chaka asked the man why he had been so long in 
finding the feathers, and he answered that the birds had 
flown from that part of the country whither he was sent, 
and he must wait there till they returned, that he might 
snare them. 

Thou shouldst have followed the cranes, yes, if they flew 
through the sunset, thou disobedient dog ! said the king. 
“ Let him be taken away, and all those who were with him.” 

Now some of the men prayed a little for mercy, but the 
captain did but salute the king, calling him Father,” and 
craving a boon before he died. 

What wouldst thou ? ” asked Chaka. 

“ My father,” said the man, I would ask thee two 
things. I have fought many times at thy side in battle 
while we both were young ; nor did I ever turn my back 
upon the foe. The blow that shore the hand from off this 
arm was aimed at thy head, 0 King ; I stayed it with my 
naked arm. It is nothing; at thy will I live, and at thy 
will I die. Who am I that I should question the word of 
the king ? Yet I would ask this, that thou wilt withdraw 
the kaross from about thee, 0 King, that for the last time 
my eyes may feast themselves upon the body of him whom, 
above all men, I love.” 

Thou art long-winded,” said the king, what more ? ” 

^^This, my father, that I may bid farewell to my son; 
he is a little child, so high, 0 King,” and he held his hand 
above his knee. 

Thy first boon is granted,” said the king, slipping the 
kaross from his shoulders and showing the great breast 
beneath. ^‘For the second it shall be granted also, for I 
will not willingly divide the father and the son. Bring the 
boy here; thou shalt bid him farewell, then thou shalt 
slay him with thine own hand ere thou thyself art slain ; 
it will be good sport to see.” 

Now the man turned grey beneath the blackness of his 
skin, and trembled a little as he murmured, “The king^s 
will is the will of his servant ; let the child be brought.’’ 


170 


J\rADA THE LILY 


But I looked at Chaka and saw that the tears were 
running down his face, and that he only spoke thus to try 
the captain who loved him to the last. 

Let the man go,” said the king, him and those with 
him.” 

So they went glad at heart and praising the king. 

I have told you this, my father, though it has not to do 
with my story, because then, and then only, did I ever see 
Chaka show mercy to one whom he had doomed to die. 

As the captain and his people left the gate of the 
kraal, it was spoken in the ear of the king that a man 
sought audience of him. He was admitted crawling on his 
knees. I looked and saw that this was that Masilo whom 
Chaka had charged with a message to him who was 
named Bulalio, or the Slaughterer, and who ruled over the 
People of the Axe. It was Masilo indeed, but he was no 
longer fat, for much travel had made him thin ; moreover, on 
his back were the marks of rods, as yet scarcely healed over. 

Who art thou ? ” said Chaka. 

I am Masilo, of the People of the Axe, to whom command 
was given to run with a message to Bulalio the Slaughterer, 
their chief, and to return on the thirtieth day. Behold, 

0 King, I have returned, though in a sorry plight ! ” 

“ It seems so !” said the king, laughing aloud. ^‘1 remem- 
ber now : speak on, Masilo the Thin, who wast Masilo the 
Fat ; what of this Slaughterer ? Does he come with his 
people to lay the axe Groan-Maker in my hands ? ” 

Nay, 0 King, he comes not. He met me with scorn, 
and with scorn he drove me from his kraal. Moreover, as 

1 went I was seized by the servants of Zinita, she whom I 
wooed, but who is now the wife of the Slaughterer, and laid 
on my face upon the ground and beaten cruelly while Zinita 
numbered the strokes.” 

Hah ! ” said the king. And what were the words of 
this puppy ? ” 

“These were his words, 0 King: ^Bulalio the Slaugh- 
terer, who sits beneath the shadow of the Witch Mountain, 
to Bulalio the Slaughterer who sits in the kraal Duguza 
— To thee I pay no tribute ; if thou wouldst have the axe 


THE DEATH OF CHAKA 


171 

Groan-Maker, come to the Ghost Mountain and take it. 
Ihis I promise thee: thou shalt look on a face thou knowest, 
for there is one there who would be avenged for the blood 
of a certain Mopo.^ 

Now, while Masilo told this tale I had seen two things 
— first, that a little piece of stick was thrust through the 
straw of the fence, and, secondly, that the regiment of the 
Bees was swarming on the slope opposite to the kraal in 
obedience to the summons I had sent them in the name of 
Umhlangana. The stick told me that the princes were 
hidden behind the fence waiting the signal, and the coming 
of the regiment that it was time to do the deed. 

When Masilo had spoken Chaka sprang up in fury. 
His eyes rolled, his face worked, foam flew from his lips, 
for such words as these had never offended his ears since 
he was king, and Masilo knew him little, else he had not 
dared to utter them. 

For a while he gasped, shaking his small spear, for at 
first he could not speak. At length he found words : — 

The dog,’’ he hissed, the dog who dares thus to spit 
in my face ! Hearken all ! As with my last breath I com- 
mand that this Slaughterer be torn limb from limb, he and 
all his tribe ! And thou, thou darest to bring me this talk 
from a skunk of the mountains. And thou, too, Mopo, 
thy name is named in it. Well, of thee presently. Ho ! 
Umxamama, my servant, slay me this slave of a messenger, 
beat out his brains with thy stick. Swift ! swift ! ” 

Now, the old chief Umxamama sprang up to do the king’s 
bidding, but he was feeble with age, and the end of it was 
that Masilo, being mad with fear, killed Umxamama, not 
Umxamama Masilo. Then Inguazonca, brother of Unandi, 
Mother of the Heavens, fell upon Masilo and ended him, 
but was hurt himself in so doing. Now I looked at Chaka, 
who stood shaking the little red spear, and thought swiftly, 
for the hour had come. 

Help ! ” I cried, one is slaying the king ! ” 

As I spoke the reed fence burst asunder, and through it 
plunged the princes Umhlangana and Dingaan, as bulls 
plunge through a brake. 


172 


JVADA THE LILY 


Then I pointed to Chaka with my withered hand, saying, 

Behold your king ! 

Now, from beneath the shelter of his kaross, each Prince 
drew out a short stabbing spear, and plunged it into the 
body of Chaka the king. Umhlangana smote him on the left 
shoulder, Dingaan struck him in the right side. Chaka 
dropped the little spear handled with the red wood and 
looked round, and so royally that the princes, his brothers, 
grew afraid and shrank away from him. 

Twice he looked on each; then he spoke, saying: ^^What! 
do you slay me, my brothers— dogs of mine own house, whom 
I have fed ? Do you slay me, thinking to possess the land 
and to rule it ? I tell you it shall not be for long. I hear a 
sound of running feet — the feet of a great white people. They 
shall stamp you flat, children of my father ! They shall rule 
the land that I have won, and you and your people shall be 
their slaves ! ” 

Thus Chaka spoke while the blood ran down him to the 
ground, and again he looked on them royally, like a buck 
at gaze. 

Make an end, 0 ye who would be kings ! ’’ I cried ; but 
their hearts had turned to water and they could not. Then 
I, Mopo, sprang forward and picked from the ground that 
little assegai handled with the royal wood — the same assegai 
with which Chaka had murdered Unandi, his mother, and 
Moosa, my son, and lifted it on high, and while I lifted 
it, my father, once more, as when I Was young, a red veil 
seemed to wave before my eyes. 

“ Wherefore wouldst thou kill me, Mopo ? said the king. 

^^For the sake of Baleka, my sister, to whom I swore the 
deed, and of all my kin,^^ I cried, and plunged the spear 
through him. He sank down upon the tanned ox-hide, and 
lay there dying. Once more he spoke, and once only, saying : 

Would now that I had hearkened to the voice of Nobela, 
who warned me against thee, thou dog !” 

Then he was silent for ever. But I knelt over him and 
called in his ear the names of all those of my blood who 
had died at his hands — the name of Makedama, my father, 
of my mother, of Anadi my wife, of Moosa my son, and 



C»ATU.5S 


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THE DEATH OF CHAKA 


173 


all my other wives and children, and of Baleka my sister. 
His eyes and ears were open, and I think, my father, that 
he saw and understood; I think also that the hate upon 
my face as I shook my withered hand before him was more 
fearful to him than the pain of death. At the least, he 
turned his head aside, shut his eyes, and groaned. Pres- 
ently they opened again, and he was dead. 

Thus then, my father, did Chaka the King, the greatest 
man who has ever lived in Zululand, and the most evil, pass 
by my hand to those kraals of the Inkosazana where no 
sleep is. In blood he died as he had lived in blood, for the 
climber at last falls with the tree, and in the end the swim- 
mer is borne away by the stream. Kow he trod that path 
which had been beaten flat for him by the feet of people 
whom he had slaughtered, many as the blades of grass upon 
a mountain-side; but it is a lie to say, as some do, that he 
died a coward, praying for mercy. Chaka died as he had 
lived, a brave man. On ! my father, I know it, for these 
eyes saw it and this hand let out his life. 

Kow he was dead and the regiment of the Bees drew 
near, nor could I know how they would take this matter, 
for, though the Prince Umhlangana was their general, yet 
all the soldiers loved the king, because he had no equal in 
battle, and when he gave he gave with an open hand. I 
looked round; the princes stood like men amazed; the girl 
ha_d fled; the chief Umxamama was dead at the hands of 
dead Masilo ; and the old chief Inguazonca, who had killed 
Masilo, stood by, hurt and wondering ; there were no others 
in the kraal. 

Awake, ye kings,’’ I cried to the brothers, ^Hhe impi is 
at the gates ! Swift, now stab that man ! ” — and I pointed 
to the old chief — ^^and leave the matter to my wit.” 

Then Dingaan roused himself, and springing upon Ingua- 
zonca, the brother of Unandi, smote him a great blow with 
his spear, so that he sank down dead without a word. Then 
again the princes stood silent and amazed. 

This one will tell no tales,” I cried, pointing to the 
fallen chief. 


174 


JVADA THE LILY 


Now a rumour of the slaying had got abroad among the 
women, who had heard cries and seen the flashing of spears 
above the fence, and from the women it had come to the 
regiment of the Bees, who advanced to the gates of the 
kraal singing. Then of a sudden they ceased their singing 
and rushed towards the hut in front of which we stood. 

Then I ran to meet them, uttering cries of woe, holding 
in my hand the little assegai of the king red with the 
king’s blood, and spoke with the captains in the gate, 
saying:— 

“ Lament, ye captains and ye soldiers, weep and lament, 
for your father is no more ! He who nursed you is no more ! 
The king is dead! now earth and heaven will come to- 
gether, for the king is dead 1 ” 

How so, Mopo ? ” cried the leader of the Bees. How 
is our father dead ? ” 

He is dead by the hand of a wicked wanderer named 
Masilo, who, when he was doomed to die by the king, 
snatched this assegai from the king’s hand and stabbed him ; 
and afterwards, before he could be cut down himself by us 
three, the princes and myself, he killed the chiefs Ingua- 
zonca and Umxamama also. Draw near and look on him 
who was the king; it is the command of Dingaan and 
XJmhlangana, the kings, that you draw near and look on 
him who was the king, that his death at the hand of 
Masilo may be told through all the land.” 

‘^You are better at making of kings, Mopo, than at the 
saving of one who was your king from the stroke of a wan- 
derer,” said the leader of the Bees, looking at me doubtfully. 

But his words passed unheeded, for some of the captains 
went forward to look on the Great One who was dead, and 
some, together with most of the soldiers, ran this way and 
that, crying in their fear that now the heaven and earth 
would come together, and the race of man would cease to 
be, because Chaka, the king, was dead. 

Now, my father, how shall I, whose days are few, tell you 
of all the matters that happened after the death of Chaka ? 
Were I to speak of them all they would fill many books of 


THE HEATH OF CHAKA 


I7S 

the white men, and, perhaps, some of them are written 
down there. For this reason it is, that I may be brief, I 
have only spoken of a few of those events which befell 
in the reign of Chaka; for my tale is not of the reign of 
Chaka, but of the lives of a handful of people who lived in 
those days, and of whom I and Umslopogaas alone are left 
alive — if, indeed, Umslopogaas, the son of Chaka, is still 
living on the earth. Therefore, in a few words I will pass 
over all that came about after the fall of Chaka and till 
I was sent down by Dingaan, the king, to summon him to 
surrender to the king who was called the Slaughterer and 
who ruled the People of the Axe. Ah ! would that I had 
known for certain that this was none other than Umslopo- 
gaas, for then had Dingaan gone the way that Chaka went and 
which Umhlangana followed, and Umslopogaas had ruled the 
people of the Zulus as their king. But, alas ! my wisdom 
failed me. I paid no heed to the voice of my heart which told 
me that this was Umslopogaas who sent the message to Chaka 
threatening vengeance for one Mopo, and I knew nothing till 
too late; surely, I thought, the man spoke of some other 
Mopo. For thus, my father, does destiny make fools of us 
men. We think that we can shape our fate, but it is fate 
that shapes us, and nothing befalls except fate will it. All 
things are a great pattern, my father, drawn by the hand of 
the Umkulunkulu upon the cup whence he drinks the water 
of his wisdom ; and our lives, and what we do, and what we 
do not do, are but a little bit of the pattern, which is so big 
that only the eye of Him who is above, the Umkulunkulu, 
can see it all. Even Chaka, the slayer of men, and all 
those he slew, are but as a tiny grain of dust in the great- 
ness of that pattern. How, then, can we be wise, my father, 
who are but the tools of wisdom ? how can we build who are 
but pebbles in a wall ? how can we give life who are babes 
in the womb of fate ? or how can we slay who are but spears 
in the hands of the slayer ? 

This came about, my father. Matters were made straight 
in the land after the death of Chaka. At first people said 
that Masilo, the stranger, had stabbed the king; then it 
was known that Mopo, the wise man, the doctor and body- 


176 


ATADA THE LILY 


servant of the king, had slain the king, and that the two 
great bulls, his brothers Umhlangana and Dingaan, children 
of Senzangacona, had also lifted spears against him. But he 
was dead, and earth and heaven had not come together, so 
what did it matter ? Moreover, the two new kings prom- 
ised to deal gently with the people, and to lighten the 
heavy yoke of Chaka, and men in a bad case are always 
ready to hope for a better. So it came about that the only 
enemies the princes found were each other and Engwade, the 
son of Unandi, Chaka’s half-brother. But I, Mopo, who 
was now the first man in the land after the kings, ceasing 
to be a doctor and becoming a general, went up against 
Engwade with the regiment of the Bees and the regiment 
of the Slayers and smote him in his kraals. It was a hard 
fight, but in the end I destroyed him and all his people: 
Engwade killed eight men with his own hand before I slew 
him. Then I came back to the kraal with the few that were 
left alive of the two regiments. 

After that the two kings quarrelled more and more, and 
I weighed them both in my balance, for I would know which 
was the most favourable to me. In the end I found that 
both feared me, but that Umhlangana would certainly put 
me to death if he gained the upper hand, whereas this was 
not yet in the mind of Dingaan. So I pressed down the 
balance of Umhlangana and raised that of Dingaan, sending 
the fears of Umhlangana to sleep till I could cause his hut 
to be surrounded. Then Umhlangana followed upon the 
road of Chaka his brother, the road of the assegai; and 
Dingaan ruled alone for awhile. Such are the things that 
befall princes of this earth, my father. See, I am but a 
little man, and my lot is humble at the last, yet I have 
brought about the death of three of them, and of these two 
died by my hand. 

It was fourteen days after the passing away of the Prince 
Umhlangana that the great army came back in a sorry 
plight from the marshes of the Limpopo, for half of them 
were left dead of fever and the might of the foe, and the 
rest were starving. It was well for them who yet lived that 
Chaka was no more, else they had joined their brethren who 


MOPO GOES TO SEEK THE SLAUGHTERER 177 


were dead on the way ; since never before for many years 
Jiad a Zulu impi returned unvictorious and without a single 
head of cattle. Thus it came about that they were glad 
enough to welcome a king who spared their lives, and thence- 
forth, till his fate found him, Dingaan reigned unquestioned. 

Now, Dingaan was a prince of the blood of Chaka in- 
deed ; for, like Chaka, he was great in presence and cruel at 
heart, but he had not the might and the mind of Chaka. 
Moreover, he was treacherous and a liar, and these Chaka was 
not. Also, he loved women much, and spent with them the 
time that he should have given to matters of the State. 
Yet he reigned awhile in the land. I must tell this also ; 
that Dingaan would have killed Panda, his half-brother, so 
that the house of Senzangacona, his father, might be swept 
out clean. Now Panda was a man of gentle heart, who did 
not love war, and therefore it was thought that he was half- 
witted ; and, because I loved Panda, when the question of 
his slaying came on, I and the chief Mapita spoke against it, 
and pleaded for him, saying that there was nothing to be 
feared at his hands who was a fool. So in the end Dingaan 
gave way, saying, Well, you ask me to spare this dog and 
I will spare him, but one day he will bite me.” 

So Panda was made governor of the king’s cattle. Yet 
in the end the words of Dingaan came true, for it was the 
grip of Panda’s teeth that pulled him from the throne ; 
only, if Panda was the dog that bit, I, Mopo, was the 
man who set him on the hunt. 


CHAPTER XXII. 

MOPO GOES TO SEEK THE SLAUGHTERER. 

Now Dingaan, deserting the kraal Duguza, moved back to 
Zululand, and built a great kraal by the Mahlabatine, which 
he named « Umgugundhlovu that is, ^'the rumbling of 
the elephant.” Also, he caused all the fairest girls in the 
land to be sought out as his wives, and though many were 


178 


JVADA THE LILY 


found yet he craved for more. And at this time a rumour 
came to the ears of the King Dingaan that there lived in 
Swaziland among the Halakazi tribe a girl of the most won- 
derful beauty, who was named the Lily, and whose skin was 
whiter than are the skins of our people, and he desired greatly 
to have this girl to wife. So Dingaan sent an embassy to 
the chief of the Halakazi, demanding that the girl should be 
given to him. At the end of a month the embassy returned 
again, and told the king that they had found nothing but 
hard words at the kraal of the Halakazi, and had been driven 
thence with scorn and blows. 

This was the message of the chief of the Halakazi to 
Dingaan, king of the Zulus : That the maid who was named 
the Lily, was, indeed, the wonder of the earth, and as yet 
unwed ; for she had found no man upon whom she looked 
with favour, and she was held in such love hy this people 
that it was not their wish to force any husband on h^ir. 
Moreover, the chief said that he and his people defied 
Dingaan and the Zulus, as their fathers had defied Chaka 
before him, and spat upon his name, and that no maid of 
theirs should go to be the wife of a Zulu dog. 

Then the chief of the Halakazi caused the maid who was 
named the Lily to be led before the messengers of Dingaan, 
and they found her wonderfully fair, for so they said : she 
was tall as a reed, and her grace was the grace of a reed that 
is shaken in the wind. Moreover, her hair curled, and hung 
upon her shoulders, her eyes were large and brown, and 
soft as a buck’s, her colour was the colour of rich cream, her 
smile was like a ripple on the waters, and when she spoke 
her voice was low and sweeter than the sound of an instru- 
ment of music. They said also that the girl wished to 
speak with them, but the chief forbade it, and caused her to 
be led thence with all honour. 

, Now, when Dingaan heard this message he grew mad as 
a lion in a net, for he desired this maid above everything, 
and yet he who had all things could not win the maid. 
This was his command, that a great impi should be gath- 
ered and sent to Swaziland against the Halakazi tribe, to 
destroy them and seize the maid. But when the matter 


MOPO GOES TO SEEK THE SLAUGHTERER 179 

came on to be discussed with the indunas in the presence of 
the king, at the Amapakati or council, I, as chief of the in- 
dunas, spoke against it, saying that the tribe of the Halakazi 
were great and strong, and that war with them would mean 
war with the Swazis also ; moreover, they had their dwell- 
ing in caves which were hard to win. Also, I said, that this 
was no time to send impis to seek a single girl, for few 
years had gone by since the Black One fell ; and foes were 
many, and the soldiers of the land had waxed few with 
slaughter, half of them having perished in the marshes of 
the Limpopo. Now, time must be given them to grow up 
again, for to-day they were as a little child, or like a man 
wasted with hunger. Maids were many ; let the king take 
them and satisfy his heart, but let him make no war for 
this one. 

Thus I spoke boldly in the face of the king, as none had 
dared to speak before Chaka ; and courage passed from me 
to uhe hearts of the other indunas and generals, and they 
echoed my words, for they knew that, of all follies, to begin 
a new war with the Swazi people would be the greatest. 

Dingaan listened, and his brow grew dark, yet he was 
not so firmly seated on the throne that he dared put away 
our words, for still there were many in the land who loved 
the memory of Chaka, and remembered that Dingaan had 
murdered him and Umhlangana also. For now that Chaka 
was dead, people forgot how evilly he had dealt with them, 
and remembered only that he was a great man, who had 
made the Zulu people out of nothing, as a smith fashions a 
bright spear from a lump of iron. Also, though they had 
changed masters, yet their burden was not lessened, for, as 
Chaka slew, so Dingaan slew also, and as Chaka oppressed so 
did Dingaan oppress. Therefore Dingaan yielded to the voice 
of his indunas and no impi was sent against the Halakazi 
to seek the maid that was named the Lily. But still he 
hankered for her in his heart, and from that hour he hated me 
because I had crossed his will and robbed him of his desire. 

Now, my father, there is this to be told : though I did not 
know it then, the maid who was named the Lily was no 
other than my daughter Nada. The thought, indeed, came 


i8o 


JVADA THE LILY 


into my mind, that none but Nada could be so fair. Yet I 
knew for certain that Nada and her mother Macropha were 
dead, for he who brought me the news of their death had 
seen their bodies lying locked in each other’s arms, killed, 
as it were, by the same spear. Yet, as it chanced, he was 
wrong ; for though Macropha indeed was killed, it was an- 
other maid who lay in blood beside her; for the people 
whither I had sent Macropha and Nada were tributary to 
the Halakazi tribe, and that chief of the Halakazi who 
sat in the place of Galazi the Wolf had quarrelled with 
them, and fallen on them by night and eaten them up. 

As I learned afterwards, the cause of their destruction, as 
in later days it was the cause of the slaying of the Halakazi, 
was the beauty of Nada and nothing else, for the fame of her 
loveliness had gone about the land, and the old chief of the 
Halakazi had commanded that the girl should be sent to 
his kraal to live there, that her beauty might shine upon 
his place like the sun, and that, if so she willed, she should 
choose a husband from among the great men of the Hala- 
kazi. But the headmen of the kraal refused, for none who 
had looked on her would suffer their eyes to lose sight of 
Nada the Lily, though there was this fate about the maid 
that none strove to wed her against her will. Many, indeed, 
asked her in marriage, both there and among the Halakazi 
people, but ever she shook her head and said, ^^Hay, I 
would wed no man,” and it was enough. 

For it was the saying among men, that it was better that 
she should remain unmarried, and all should look on her, 
than that she should pass from their sight into the house of 
a husband ; since they held that her beauty was given to be 
a joy to all, like the beauty of the dawn and of the evening. 
Yet this beauty of Hada’s was a dreadful thing, and the 
mother of much death, as shall be told ; and because of her 
beauty and the great love she bore, she, the Lily herself, 
must wither, and the cup of my sorrows must be filled to 
overflowing, and the heart of Uinslopogaas the Slaughterer, 
son of Chaka the king, must become desolate as the black 
plain when the fire has swept it. So it was ordained, my 
father, and so it befell, seeing that thus all men, white and 


MOPO GOES TO SEEK THE SLAUGHTERER i8i 


black, seek that which is beautiful, and when at last they 
find it, then it passes swiftly away, or, perchance, it is their 
death. For great joy and great beauty are winged, nor will 
they sojourn long upon the earth. They come down like 
eagles out of the sky, and into the sky they return again 
swiftly. 

Thus then it came about, my father, that I, Mopo, be- 
lieving my daughter Nada to be dead, little guessed that 
it was she who was named the Lily in the kraals of the 
Halakazi, and whom Dingaan the king desired for a wife. 

Now after I had thwarted him in this matter of the send- 
ing of an impi to pluck the Lily from the gardens of the 
Halakazi, Dingaan learned to hate me. Also I was in his 
secrets, and with me he had killed his brother Chaka and 
his brother Umhlangana, and it was I who held him back 
from the slaying of his brother Panda also; and, there- 
fore, he hated me, as is the fashion of small-hearted men 
with those who have lifted them up. Yet he did not dare 
to do away with me, for my voice was loud in the land, and 
when I spoke the people listened. Therefore, in the end, 
he cast about for some way to be rid of me for a while, till 
he should grow strong enough to kill me. 

^‘Mopo,’^ said the king to me one day as I sat before 
him in council with others of the indunas and generals, 

mindest thou of the- last words of the Great Elephant, 
who is dead ? This he said meaning Chaka his brother, 
only he did not name him, for now the name of Chaka was 
hlonipa in the land, as is the custom with the names of dead 
kings — that is, my father, it was not lawful that it should 
pass the lips. 

remember the words, 0 King,’’ I answered. ^^They 
were ominous words, for this was their burden : that you 
and your house should not sit long in the throne of kings, 
but that the white men should take away your royalty and 
divide your territories. Such was the prophecy of the Lion 
of the Zulu, why speak of it ? Once before I heard him 
prophesy, and his words were fulfilled. May the omen be 
an egg without meat ; may it never become fledged ; may 
that bird never perch upon your roof, 0 King ! ” 


i 82 


ATADA THE LILY 


Now Dingaan trembled with fear, for the words of 
Chaka were in his mind by night and by day ; then he 
grew angry and bit his lip, saying : — 

Thou fool, Mopo ! canst thou not hear a raven croak at 
the gates of a kraal but thou must needs go tell those who 
dwell within that he waits to pick their eyes ? Such criers 
of ill to come may well find ill at hand, Mopo.” He 
ceased, looked on me threateningly awhile, and went on : 
‘‘I did not speak of those words rolling by chance from 
a tongue half loosed by death, but of others that told of 
a certain Bulalio, of a Slaughterer who rules the People 
of the Axe and dwells beneath the shadow of the Ghost 
Mountain far away to the north yonder. Surely I heard 
them all as I sat beneath the shade of the reed-fence before 
ever I came to save him who was my brother from the 
spear of Masilo, the murderer, whose spear stole away the 
life of a king ? ” 

I remember those words also, 0 King ! ” I said. “ Is it the 
will of the king that an impi should be gathered to eat up 
this upstart ? Such was the command of one who is gone, 
given, as it were, with his last breath.” 

^^Nay, Mopo, that is not my will. If no impi can be 
found by thee to wipe away the Halakazi and bring one 
whom I desire to delight my eyes, then surely none can be 
found to eat up this Slaughterer and his people. Moreover, 
Bulalio, chief of the People of the Axe, has not offended 
against me, but against an elephant whose trumpetings are 
done. Now this is my will, Mopo, my servant : that thou 
shouldst take with thee a few men only and go gently to this 
Bulalio, and say to him : ^ A greater Elephant stalks through 
the land than he who has gone to sleep, and it has come to his 
ears — that thou. Chief of the People of the Axe, dost pay 
no tribute, and hast said that, because of the death of a cer- 
tain Mopo, thou wilt have nothing to do with him whose 
shadow lies upon the land. Now one Mopo is sent to 
thee. Slaughterer, to know if this tale is true, for, if 
it be true, then shalt thou learn the weight of the hoof 
of that Elephant who trumpets in the kraal Umgugun- 
dhlovu. Think, then, and weigh thy words before thou dost 
answer. Slaughterer.’” ^ 


MOPO GOES TO SEEK THE SLAUGHTERER 183 

Now I, Mopo, heard the commands of the king and 
pondered them in my mind, for I knew well that it was 
the design of Dingaan to be rid of me for a space that he 
might find time to plot my overthrow, and that he cared 
little for this matter of a petty chief, who, living far away, 
had dared to defy Chaka. Yet I wished to go, for there 
had arisen in me a great desire to see this Bulalio, who 
spoke of vengeance to be taken for one Mopo, and whose 
deeds were such as the deeds of Umslopogaas would have 
been, had Umslopogaas lived to look upon the light. There- 
fore I answered : — 

I I hear the king. The king^s word shall be done, though, 

I O King, thou sendest a big man upon a little errand.” 
i ^‘Not so, Mopo,” answered Dingaan. “My heart tells 
; me that this chicken of a Slaughterer will grow to a great 
1 cock if his comb is not cut presently; and thou, Mopo, 

; art versed in cutting combs, even of the tallest.” 

' “ I hear the king,” I answered again. 

■ So, my father, it came about that on the morrow, taking 
; with me but ten chosen men, I, Mopo, started on my 
journey towards the Ghost Mountain, and as I journeyed I 
thought much of how I had trod that path in bygone days. 
Then, Macropha, my wife, and Nada, my daughter, and Um- 
slopogaas, the son of Chaka, who was thought to be my 
son, walked at my side. Now, as I imagined, all were dead 
and I walked alone ; doubtless I also should soon be dead. 
Well, people lived few days and evil in those times, and 
what did it matter ? At the least I had wreaked vengeance 
on Chaka and satisfied my heart. 

At length I came one night to that lonely spot where we 
had camped in the evil hour when Umslopogaas was borne 
I away by the lioness, and once more I looked upon the cave 
I whence he had dragged the cub, and upon the awful face 
I of the stone Witch who sits aloft upon the Ghost Moun- 
I tain forever and forever. I could sleep little that night, 
because of the sorrow at my heart, but sat awake look- 
ing, in the brightness of the moon, upon the grey face of 
the . stone Witch, and on the depths of the forest that grew 


JVADA THE LILY 


184 

about her knees, wondering the while if the bones of 
Umslopogaas lay broken in that forest. Now as I jour- 
neyed, many tales had been told to me of this Ghost Moun- 
tain, which all swore was haunted, so said some, by men in 
the shape of wolves ; and, so said some, by the Esemkofu — 
that is, by men who have died and who have been brought 
back again by magic. They have no tongues, the Esemkofu, 
for had they tongues they would cry aloud to mortals the 
awful secrets of the dead, therefore, they can but utter a 
wailing like that of a babe. Surely one may hear them in 
the forests at night as they wail “Mt — ah ! Ai — ah ! ” among 
the silent trees ! 

You laugh, my father, but I did not laugh as I thought 
of these tales ; for, if men have spirits, where do the spirits 
go when the body is dead ? They must go somewhere, and 
would it be strange that they should return to look upon 
the lands where they were born? Yet I never thought 
much of such matters, though I am a doctor, and know 
something of the ways of the Amatongo, the people of 
the ghosts. To speak truth, my father, I have had so 
much to do with the loosing of the spirits of men that I 
never troubled myself overmuch with them after they were 
loosed ; there will be time to do this when I myself am of 
their number. 

So I sat and gazed on the mountain and the forest that 
grew over it like hair on the head of a woman, and as I 
gazed I heard a sound that came from far away, out of the 
heart of the forest as it seemed. At first it was faint and far 
off, a distant thing like the cry of children in a kraal across 
a valley ; then it grew louder, but still I could not say what 
it might be; now it swelled and swelled, and I knew it— it 
was the sound of wild beasts at chase. Nearer came the 
music, the rocks rang with it, and its voice set the blood beat- 
ing but to hearken to it. That pack was great which ran 
a-hunting through the silent night ; and now it was nigh, 
on the other side of the slope only, and the sound swelled 
so loud that those who were with me awoke also and looked 
forth. Now of a sudden a great koodoo bull appeared for 
an instant standing out against the sky on the crest of the 


MOPO REVEALS HIMSELF 


185 


ridge, then vanished in the shadow. He was running tow- 
ards us ; presently we saw him again speeding on his path 
with great bounds. We saw this also — forms grey and 
gaunt and galloping, in number countless, that leaped along 
upon his path, appearing on the crest of the rise, disappear- 
ing into the shadow, seen again on the slope, lost in the 
valley ; and with them two other shapes, the shapes of men. 

Now the big buck bounded past us not half a spear’s throw 
away, and behind him streamed the countless wolves, and 
from the throats of the wolves went up that awful music. 
And who were these two that came with the wolves, shapes 
of men great and strong ? They ran silently and swift, 
wolves’ teeth gleamed upon their heads, wolves’ hides hung 
about their shoulders. In the hand of one was an axe — the 
moonlight shone upon it — in the hand of the other a heavy 
club. Neck and neck they ran ; never before had we seen 
men travel so fast. See ! they sped down the slope toward 
us ; the wolves were left behind, all except four of them ; 
we heard the beating of their feet ; they came, they passed, 
they were gone, and with them their unnumbered company. 
The music grew faint, it died, it was dead ; the hunt was 
far away, the night was still again ! 

Now, my brethren,” I asked of those who were with me, 

what is this that we have seen ? ” 

Then one answered, ^^We have seen the Ghosts who live 
in the lap of the old Witch, and those men are the Wolf- 
Brethren, the wizards who are kings of the Ghosts.” 


CHAPTER XXIII. 

MOPO REVEALS HIMSELF TO THE SLAUGHTERER. 

All that night we watched, but we neither saw nor heard 
any more of the wolves, nor of the men who hunted with 
them. On the morrow, at dawn, I sent a runner to Bulalio, 
chief of the People of the Axe, saying that a messenger 
came to him from Dingaan, the king, who desired to speak 


i86 


JVAjDA the lily 


with him in peace within the gates of his kraal. I charged 
the messenger, however, that he should not tell my name, 
but should say only that it was Mouth of Dingaan.” 
Then 1 and those with me followed slowly on the path of 
the man whom I sent forward, for the way was still far, 
and I had bidden him return and meet me bearing the 
words of the Slaughterer, Holder of the Axe. 

All that day till the sun grew low we walked round the 
base of the great Ghost Mountain, following the line of the 
river. We met no one, but once we came to the ruins of a 
kraal, and in it lay the broken bones of many men, and 
with the bones rusty assegais and the remains of ox-hide 
shields, black and white in colour. Now I examined the 
shields, and knew from their colour that they had been car- 
ried in the hands of those soldiers who, years ago, were 
sent out by Chaka to seek for Umslopogaas, but who had 
returned no more. 

‘^Now,’’ I said, ^Gt has fared ill with those soldiers of the 
Black One who is gone, for I think that these are the shields 
they bore, and that their eyes once looked upon the world 
through the holes in yonder skulls.’’ 

These are the shields they bore, and those are the skulls 
they wore,” answered one. “ See, Mopo, son of Makedama, 
this is no man’s work that has brought them to their death. 
Men do not break the bones of their foes in pieces as these 
bones are broken. Wow I men do not break them, but 
wolves do, and last night we saw wolves a-hunting; nor 
did they hunt alone, Mopo. Wow ! this is a haunted land ! ” 

Then we went on in silence, and all the way the stone 
face of the Witch who sits aloft forever stared down on us 
from the mountain top. At length, an hour before sun- 
down, we came to the open lands, and there, on the crest 
of a rise beyond the river, we saw the kraal of the People 
of the Axe, It was a great kraal and well built, and their 
cattle were spread about the plains like to herds of game 
for number. We went to the river and passed it by the 
ford, then sat down and waited, till presently I saw the 
man whom I had sent forward returning towards us. Pie 
came and saluted ine, and I asked him for news. 


MOPO REVEALS HIMSELF 


187 


^^This is my news, Mopo,” he said: have seen him 

who is named Bulalio, and he is a great man — long and 
lean, with a fierce face, and carrying a mighty axe, such an 
axe as he bore last night who hunted with the wolves. 
When I had been led before the chief I saluted him and 
spoke to him — the words you laid upon my tongue I told 
to him. He listened, then laughed aloud, and said : ‘ Tell 
him who sent you that the mouth of Dingaan shall be wel- 
come, and shall speak the words of Dingaan in peace ; yet 
I would that it were the head of Dingaan that came, and. 
not his mouth only, for then Axe Groan-Maker should join 
in our talk — ay, because of one Mopo, whom his brother 
Chaka murdered, it would also speak with Dingaan. Still, 
the mouth is not the head, so the mouth may come in 
peace.’ ” 

Now I started when for the second time I heard talk of 
one Mopo, whose name had been on the lips of Bulalio 
the Slaughterer. Who was there that would thus have 
loved Mopo except one who was long dead ? And yet, per- 
haps the chief spoke of some other Mopo, for the name was 
not my own only — in truth, Chaka had killed a chief of 
that name at the great mourning, because he said that two 
Mopos in the land were one too many, and that though 
this Mopo wept sorely when the tears of others were dry. 
So I said only that this Bulalio had a high stomach, and 
we went on to the gates of the kraal. 

There were none to meet us at the gates, and none stood 
by the doors of the huts within them, but beyond, from the 
cattle kraal that was in the centre of the huts, rose a dust 
and a din as of men gathering for war. Now some of those 
with me were afraid, and would have turned back, fearing 
treachery, and they were yet more afraid when, on coming 
to the inner entrance of the cattle kraal, we saw some five 
hundred soldiers being mustered there company by com- 
pany, by two great men, who ran up and down the ranks 
shouting. 

But I cried, ^^Nay! nay! Turn not back! Bold looks 
melt the hearts of foes. Moreover, if this Bulalio would 
have murdered us, there was no need for him to call up so 


NAD A THE LILY 


isa 

many of his warriors. He is a proud chief, and would show 
his might, not knowing that the king we serve can mus- 
ter a company for every man he has. Let us go on boldly.’^ 

So we walked forward towards the impi that was gath- 
ered on the further side of the kraal. Now the two great 
men who were marshalling the soldiers saw us, and came to 
meet us, one following the other. He who came first bore 
the axe upon his shoulder, and he who followed swung a 
huge club. I looked upon the foremost of them, and ah ! 
my father, my heart grew faint with joy, for I knew 
him across the years. It was Umslopogaas ! my fosterling, 
Umslopogaas ! and none other, now grown into manhood — 
ay, into such a man as was not to be found beside him in 
Zululand. He was great and fierce, somewhat spare in 
frame, but wide shouldered and shallow flanked. His arms 
were long and not over big, but the muscles stood out on 
them like knots in a rope ; his legs were long also, and very 
thick beneath the knee. His eye was like an eagle’s, his 
nose somewhat hooked, and he held his head a little for- 
ward, as a man who searches continually for a hidden foe. 
He seemed to walk slowly, and yet he came swiftly, but 
with a gliding movement like that of a wolf or a lion, and 
always his fingers played round the horn handle of the axe 
Groan-Maker. As for him who followed, he was great also, 
shorter than Umslopogaas by the half of a head, but of a 
sturdier build. His eyes were small, and twinkled unceas- 
ingly like little stars, and his look was very wild, for now 
and again he grinned, showing his white teeth. 

When I saw Umslopogaas, my father, my bowels melted 
within me, and I longed to run to him and throw my- 
self upon his neck. Yet I took council with myself and 
did not — nay, I dropped the corner of the kaross I wore 
over my eyes, hiding my face lest he should know me. 
Presently he stood before me, searching me out with his 
keen eyes, for I drew forward to greet him. 

“ Greeting, Mouth of Dingaan ! ” he said in a loud voice. 

You are a little man to be the mouth of so big a chief.” 

“ The mouth is a little member, even of the body of a 
great king, 0 Chief Bulalio, ruler of the People of the 


MOPO REVEALS HIMSELF 


189 

Axe, wizard of the wolves that are upoii^ the Ghost 
Mountain, who aforetime was named Umslopogaas, son of 
Mopo, son of Makedama.’^ 

Now when Umslopogaas heard these words he started 
like a child at a rustling in the dark and stared hard at me. 

“You are well instructed,’’ he said. 

“ The ears of the king are large, if his mouth be small, 

0 Chief Bulalioj” I answered, “and I, who am but the 
mouth, speak what the ears have heard.” 

“ How know you that I have dwelt with the wolves upon 
the Ghost Mountain, O Mouth ? ” he asked. 

“The eyes of the king see far, 0 Chief Bulalio. Thus 
last night they saw a great chase and a merry. It seems 
that they saw a koodoo bull running at speed, and after 
him countless wolves making their music, and with the 
wolves two men clad in wolves’ skins, such men as you, 
Bulalio, and he with the club who follows you.” 

Now Umslopogaas lifted the axe Groan-Maker as though 
he would cut me down, then let it fall again, while Galazi 
the Wolf glared at me with wide-opened eyes. 

“How know you that once I was named Umslopogaas, 
who have lost that name these many days? Speak, 0 
Mouth, lest I kill you.” 

“Slay if you will, Umslopogaas,” I answered, “but know 
that when the brains are scattered the mouth is dumb. He 
who scatters brains loses wisdom.” 

“ Answer ! ” he said. 

“ I answer not. Who are you that I should answer you ? 

1 know ; it is enough. To ray business.” 

Now Umslopogaas ground his teeth in anger. “I am not 
wont to be thwarted here in my own kraal,” he said; “but 
to your business. Speak it, little Mouth.” 

“ This is my business, little Chief. When the Black One 
who is gone yet lived, you sent him a message by one 
Masilo— such a message as his ears had never heard, and 
that had been your death, 0 fool puffed up with pride, but 
death came first upon the Black One, and his hand was 
stayed. Now Dingaan, whose shadow lies upon the land, 
the king whom I serve, and who sits in the place of the 


190 


ATADA THE LILY 


Black One who is gone, speaks to you by me, his mouth. 
He would know this : if it is true that you refuse to own 
his sovereignty, to pay tribute to him in men and maids and 
cattle, and to serve him in his wars ? Answer, you little 
headman ! — answer in few words and short !’’ 

Now Umslopogaas gasped for breath in his rage, and 
again he fingered the great axe. It is well for you, 0 
Mouth,” he said, “that I swore safe conduct to you, else 
you had not gone hence — else had you been served as I 
served certain soldiers who in bygone years were sent to 
search out one Umslopogaas. Yet I answer you in few 
words and short. Look on those spears — they are but a 
fourth part of the number I can muster : that is my 
answer. Look now on yonder mountain, the mountain of 
ghosts and wolves — unknown, impassable, save to me and 
one other : that is my answer. Spears and mountain shall 
come together — the mountain shall be alive with spears 
and with the fangs of beasts. Let Dingaan seek his tribute 
there ! I have spoken ! ” 

Now I laughed shrilly, desiring to try the heaH of Um- 
slopogaas, my fosterling, yet further. 

“Fool!” I said, “Boy with the brain of a monkey, for 
every spear you have Dingaan, whom I serve, can send 
a hundred, and your mountain shall be stamped fiat ; and 
for your ghosts and your wolves, see, with the mouth 
of Dingaan I spit upon them!” and I spat upon the 
ground. 

Now Umslopogaas shook in -his rage, and the great axe 
glimmered as he shook. He turned to the captain who 
was behind him, and said : “ Say, Galazi the Wolf, shall 
we kill this man and those with him ? ” 

“Nay,” answered the Wolf, grinning, “do not kill them; 
you have given them safe conduct. Moreover, let them go 
back to their dog of a king, that he may send out his 
puppies to do battle with our wolves. It will be a pretty 
fight.” 

“Get you gone, 0 Mouth,” said Umslopogaas; “get you 
gone swiftly, lest mischief befall you ! Without my gates 
you shall find food to satisfy your hunger. Eat of it 


MOPO REVEALS H/MSELF 


191 

and begone, for if to-morrow at the noon you are found 
within a spear’s throw of this kraal, you and those with 
you shall bide there forever, 0 Mouth of Dingaan the 
king ! ” 

Now I made as though I would depart, then, turning 
suddenly, I spoke once more, saying : — 

There were words in your message to the Black One 
who is dead of a certain man — nay, how was he named ? 
— of a certain Mopo.” 

Now XJmslopogaas started as one starts who is wounded 
by a spear, and stared at me. 

Mopo ! What of Mopo, 0 Mouth, whose eyes are 
veiled ? Mopo is dead, whose son I was ! ” 

Ah ! ” I said, “ yes, Mopo is dead — that is, the Black 
One who is gone killed a certain Mopo. How came it, 

0 Bulalio, that you were his son ? ” 

“ Mopo is dead,” quoth XJmslopogaas again ; he is dead 
with all his house, his kraal is stamped flat, and that is why 

1 hated the Black One, and therefore I hate Dingaan, his 
brother, and will be as are Mopo and the house of Mopo 
before I pay him tribute of a single ox.” 

All this while I had spoken to XJmslopogaas in a feigned 
voice, my father, but now I spoke again and in my own 
voice, saying: — 

So ! Now you speak from your heart, young man, and 
by digging I have reached the root of the matter. It is 
because of this dead dog of a Mopo that you defy the 
king.” 

XJmslopogaas heard the voice, and trembled no more with 
anger, but rather with fear and wonder. He looked at 
me hard, answering nothing. 

^^Have you a hut near by, 0 Chief Bulalio, foe of Din- 
gaan the king, where I, the mouth of the king, may speak 
with you a while apart, for I would learn your message 
word by word that I may deliver it without fault. Fear 
not. Slaughterer, to sit alone with me in an empty hut ! I 
am unarmed and old, and there is that in your hand which 
I should fear,” and I pointed to the axe. 

Now XJmslopogaas, still shaking in his limbs, answered. 


192 


JVAVA THE LILY 


^^Follow me, 0 Mouth, and you, Galazi, stay with these 
men/^ 

So I followed Umslopogaas, and presently we came to a 
large hut. He pointed to the doorway, and I crept through 
it and he followed after me. How for a while it seemed 
dark in the hut, for the sun was sinking without and the 
place was full of shadow ; so I waited while a man might 
count fifty, till our eyes could search the darkness. Then 
of a sudden I threw the blanket from my face and looked 
into the eyes of Umslopogaas. 

^‘Look on me now, 0 Chief Bulalio, O Slaughterer, 
who once was named Umslopogaas — look on me and 
say who am I ? ’’ Then he looked at me and his jaw 
fell. 

Either you are Mopo my father grown old — Mopo, who 
is dead, or the Ghost of Mopo,” he answered in a low voice. 

am Mopo, your father, Umslopogaas,” I said. You 
have been long in knowing me, who knew you from the 
first.” 

Then Umslopogaas cried aloud, but yet softly, and, letting 
fall the axe Groan-Maker, he flung himself upon my breast 
and wept there. And I wept also. 

Oh ! my father,” he said, I thought that you were dead 
with the others, and now you have come back to me, and I, 
I would have lifted the axe against you in my folly. Oh, it 
is well that I have lived, and not died, since once more I 
look upon your face — the face that I thought dead, but 
which yet lives, though it be sorely changed, as though by 
grief and years.” 

Peace, Umslopogaas, my son,” I said. “I also deemed 
you dead in the lion’s mouth, though in truth it seemed 
strange to me that any other man than Umslopogaas could 
have wrought the deeds which I have heard of as done by 
Bulalio, Chief of the People of the Axe — ay, and thrown 
defiance in the teeth of Chaka. But you are not dead, and 
I, I am not dead. It was another Mopo whom Chaka killed j 
I slew Chaka, Chaka did not slay me.” 

And of Nada, what of Hada, my sister ? ” he said. 

^^Macropha, your mother, and Nada, your sister, are dead, 




‘ He ran in upon her and smote her on the head. ’ 




‘ O, my father, I thought you dead.’ 



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MOPO REVEALS HIMSELF 


193 


Umslopogaas. They are dead at the hands of the people 
of the Halakazi, who dwell in Swaziland.” 

I have heard of that people,” he answered presently, 
“and so has Galazi the Wolf, yonder. He has a hate to 
satisfy against them — they murdered his father; now I 
have two, for they have murdered my mother and my sister. 
Ah, Nada, my sister! hTada, my sister!” and the great 
man covered his face with his hands, and rocked himself to 
and fro in his grief. 

Now, my father, it came into my thoughts to make the 
truth plain to Umslopogaas, and tell him that Nada was no 
sister of his, and that he was no son of mine, but rather of 
that Chaka whom my hand had finished. And yet I did not, 
though now I would that I had done so. For I saw well how 
great was the pride and how high was the heart of Umslo- 
pogaas, and I saw also that if once he should learn that 
the throne of Zululand was his by right, nothing could 
hold him back, for he would swiftly break into open rebel- 
lion against Dingaan the king, and in my judgment the 
time was not ripe for that. Had I known, indeed, but one 
short year before that Umslopogaas still lived, he had sat 
where Dingaan sat this day ; but I lid not know it, and the 
chance had gone by for a while. Now Dingaan was king 
and mustered many regiments round him, for I had held 
him back from war, as in the case of the raid that he 
wished to make upon the Swazis. The chance had gone 
by, but it would come again, and till it came I must say 
nothing. I would do this rather, I would bring Dingaan and 
Umslopogaas together, that Umslopogaas might become 
known in the land as a great chief and the first of warriors. 
Then I would cause him to be advanced to be an induna, 
and a general to lead the impis of the king, for he who 
leads the impis is already half a king. 

So I held my peace upon this matter, but till the dawn 
was grey Umslopogaas and I sat together and talked, each 
telling the tale of those years that had gone since he was 
borne from me in the lion’s mouth. I told him how all my 
wives and children had been killed, how I had been put to 
the torment, and showed him my white and withered hand. 

o 


194 


NADA THE LILY 


I told him also of the death of Baleka, my sister, and of all 
my people of the Langeni, and of how I had revenged my 
wrongs upon Chaka, and made Dingaan to be king in his 
place, and was now the first man in the land under the 
king, though the king feared me much and loved me little. 
But I did not tell him that Baleka, my sister, was his own 
mother. 

When I had done my tale, Umslopogaas told me his : how 
Galazi had rescued him from the lioness ; how he became 
one of the Wolf-Brethren; how he had conquered Jikiza 
and the sons of Jikiza, and become chief of the People of 
the Axe, and taken Zinita to wife, and grown great in the 
land. 

I asked him how it came about that he still hunted 
with the wolves as he had done last night. He answered 
that now he was great and there was nothing more to win, 
and at times a weariness of life came upon him, and then 
he must up, and together with Galazi hunt and harry with 
the wolves, for thus only could he find rest. 

I said that I would show him better game to hunt before 
all was done, and asked him further if he loved his wife. 
Zinita. Umslopogaas answered that he would love her 
better if she loved him not so much, for she was jealous 
and quick to anger, and that was a sorrow to him. Then, 
when he had slept awhile, he led me from the hut, and I 
and my people were feasted with the best, and I spoke with 
Zinita and with Galazi the Wolf. Por the last, I liked him 
well. This was a good man to have at one’s back in battle ; 
but my heart spoke to me against Zinita. She was hand- 
some and tall, but with fierce eyes which always watched 
Umslopogaas, my fosterling; and I noted that he who 
was fearless of all other things yet seemed to fear Zinita. 
Neither did she love me, for when she saw how the Slaugh- 
terer clung to me, as it were, instantly she grew jealous — 
as already she was jealous of Galazi — and would have been 
rid of me if she might. Thus it came about that my heart 
spoke against Zinita; nor did it tell me worse things of 
her than those which she was to do. 


THE SLAYING OF THE BOERS 


195 


CHAPTER XXIV. 

THE SLAYING OF THE BOERS. 

On the morrow I led Umslopogaas apart, and spoke to 
him thus : — 

“ My son, yesterday, when yon did not know me except as 
the Mouth of Dingaan, you charged me with a certain mes- 
sage for Dingaan the king, that, had it been delivered into 
the ears of the king, had surely brought death upon you 
and all your people. The tree that stands by itself on a 
plain, Umslopogaas, thinks itself tall and that there is no 
shade to equal its shade. Yet are there other and bigger 
trees. You are such a solitary tree, Umslopogaas, but the 
topmost branches of him whom I serve are thicker than 
your trunk, and beneath his shadow live many woodcutters, 
who go out to lop those that would grow too high. You are 
no match for Dingaan, though, dwelling here alone in an 
empty land, you have grown great in your own eyes and in 
the eyes of those about you. Moreover, Umslopogaas, know 
this : Dingaan already hates you because of the words which 
in bygone years you sent by Masilo the fool to the Black 
One who is dead, for he heard those words, and it is his 
will to eat you up. He has sent me hither for one reason 
only, to be rid of me awhile, and, whatever the words I 
bring back to him, the end will be the same — that night 
shall come when you will find an impi at your gates.” 

Then what need to talk more of the matter, my father ? ” 
asked Umslopogaas. That will come which must come. Let 
me wait here for the impi of Dingaan, and fight till ! die.” 

“Not so, Umslopogaas, my son ; there are more ways of 
killing a man than by the assegai, and a crooked stick can 
still be bent straight in the steam. It is my desire, Um- 
slopogaas, that instead of hate Dingaan should give you 
love ; instead of death, advancement ; and that you shall 
grow great in his shadow. Listen ! Dingaan is not what 
Chaka was, though, like Chaka, he is cruel. This Dingaan 

o 2 


A^ADA THE LILY 


196 

is a fool, and it may well come about that a man can be 
found who, growing up in his shadow, in the end shall over- 
shadow him. I might do it — I myself ; but I am old, 
and, being worn with sorrow, have no longing to rule. But 
you are young, Umslopogaas, and there is no man like you 
in the land. Moreover, there are other matters of which it 
is not well to speak, that shall serve you as a raft whereon 
to swim to power.” 

Now Umslopogaas glanced up sharply, for in those days 
he was ambitious, and desired to be first among the people. 
Indeed, having the blood of Chaka in his veins, how could 
it be otherwise ? 

What is your plan, my father ? ” he asked. Say how 
can this be brought about ? ” 

“This and thus, Umslopogaas. Among the tribe of the 
Halakazi in Swaziland there dwells a maid who is named 
the Lily. She is a girl of the most wonderful beauty, and 
Dingaan is afire with longing to have her to wife. Now, 
awhile since Dingaan dispatched an embassy to the chief 
of the Halakazi asking the Lily in marriage, and the chief 
of the Halakazi sent back insolent words, saying that the 
Beauty of the Earth should be given to no Zulu dog as a 
wife. Then Dingaan was angry, and he would have gath- 
ered his impis and sent them against the Halakazi to de- 
stroy them, and bring him the maid, but I held him back 
from it, saying that now was no time to begin a new war ; 
and it is for this cause that Dingaan hates me, he is so set 
upon the plucking of the Swazi Lily. Do you understand 
now, Umslopogaas ? ” 

“Something,” he answered. “But speak clearly.” 

“ Wow, Umslopogaas ! Half words are better than whole 
ones in this land of ours. Listen, then ! This is my plan : 
that you should fall upon the Halakazi tribe, destroy it, 
and bring back the maid as a peace-offering to Din- 
gaan.” 

“That is a good plan, my father,” he answered. “At the 
least, maid or no maid, there will be fighting in it, and 
cattle to divide when the fighting is done.” 

“ First conquer, then reckon up the spoils, Umslopogaas.” 


THE SLAYING OF THE BOERS 


197 


Now he thought awhile, then said, Suffer that I sum- 
mon Galazi the Wolf, my captain. Do not fear, he is trusty 
and a man of few words.’^ 

Presently Galazi came and sat down before us. Then I 
put the matter to him thus : that Umslopogaas would fall 
upon the Halakazi and bring to Dingaan the maid he longed 
for as a peace-offering, but that I wished to hold him back 
from the venture because the Halakazi people were great 
and strong. I spoke in this sense so that I might have a 
door to creep out should Galazi betray the plot; and Um- 
slopogaas read my purpose, though my craft was needless, 
for Galazi was a true man. 

Galazi the Wolf listened in silence till I had finished, 
then he answered quietly, but it seemed to me that a fire 
shone in his eyes as he spoke : — 

I am chief by right of the Halakazi, 0 Mouth of Din- 
gaau, and know them well. They are a strong people, and 
can put two full regiments under arms, whereas Bulalio 
here can muster but one regiment, and that a small one. 
Moreover, they have watchmen out by night and day, and 
spies scattered through the land, so that it will be hard to take 
them unawares ; also their stronghold is a vast cave open 
to the sky in the middle, and none have won that strong- 
hold yet, nor could it be found except by those who know 
its secret. They are few, yet I am one of them, for my 
father showed it to me when I was a lad. Therefore, 
Mouth of Dingaan, you will know that this is no easy task 
which Bulalio would set himself and us — to conquer the 
Halakazi. That is the face of the matter so far as it con- 
cerns Bulalio, but for me, 0 Mouth, it has another face. 
Know that, long years ago, I swore to my father as he lay 
dying by the poison of a witch of this people that I would 
not rest till I had avenged him — ay, till I had stamped out 
the Halakazi, and slain their men, and brought their women 
to the houses of strangers, and their children to bonds ! 
Year by year and month by month, and night by night, as 
I have lain alone upon the Ghost Mountain yonder, I have 
wondered how I might bring my oath to pass, and found no 
way. Now it seems that there is a way, and I am glad. 


198 


ATADA THE LILY 


Yet this is a great adventure, and perhaps before it is 
done with the People of the Axe will be no more/^ And 
he ceased and took snuff, watching our faces over the spoon. 

^^Galazi the Wolf,’^ said Umslopogaas, ^‘for me also the 
matter has another face. You have lost your father at the 
hands of these Halakazi dogs, and, though till last night I 
did not know it, I have lost my mother by their spears, and 
with her one whom I loved above all in the world, my sister 
Nada, who loved me also. Both are dead and the Halakazi 
have killed them. This man, the mouth of Hingaan,’’ and 
he pointed to me, Mopo, ^Hhis man says that if I can 
stamp out the Halakazi and make captive of the Lily maid, 
I shall win the heart of Hingaan. Little do I care for 
Dingaan, I who would go my way alone, and live while I 
may live, and die when I must, by the hands of Dingaan as 
by those of another — what does it matter? Yet, for this 
reason, because of the death of Macropha, my mother, and 
Hada, the sister who was dear to me, I will make war upon 
these Halakazi and conquer them, or be conquered by them. 
Perhaps, O Mouth of Dingaan, you will see me soon at the 
king’s kraal on the Mahalabatine, and with me the Lily maid 
and the cattle of the Halakazi ; or perhaps you shall not 
see me, and then you will know that I am dead, and the 
Warriors of the Axe are no more.” 

So Umslopogaas spoke to me before Galazi the Wolf, but 
afterwards he embraced me and bade me farewell, for he had 
no great hope that we should meet again. And I also 
doubted it ; for, as Galazi said, the adventure was great ; 
yet, as I had seen many times, it is the bold thrower who 
oftenest wins. So we parted — I to return to Dingaan and 
tell him that Biilalio, Chief of the People of the Axe, 
had gone up against the Halakazi to win the Lily maid 
and bring her to him in atonement; while Umslopogaas 
remained to make ready his impi for war. 

I went swiftly from the Ghost Mountain back to the 
kraal Umgugundhlovu, and presented myself before Din- 
gaan, who at first looked on me coldly. But when I told 
him my message, and how that the Chief Bulalio the Slaugh- 
terer had taken the war-path to win him the Lily, his mam 


THE SLAYING OF THE BOERS 


199 


ner changed. He took me by the hand and said that I had 
done well, and he had been foolish to doubt me when I 
lifted up my voice to persuade him from sending an impi 
against the Halakazi. Now he saw that it was my purpose 
to rake this Halakazi fire with another hand than his, and 
to save his hand from the burning, and he thanked me. 

Moreover, he said, that if this Chief of the People of the 
Axe brought him the maid his heart desired, not only would 
he forgive him the words he had spoken by the mouth of 
Masilo to the Black One who was dead, but also all the 
cattle of the Halakazi should be his, and he would make 
him great in the land. I answered that all this was as the 
king willed. I had but done my duty by the king and 
worked so that, whatever befell, a proud chief should be 
weakened and a foe should be attacked at no cost to the 
king, in such fashion also that perhaps it might come about 
that the king would shortly have the Lily at his side. 

Then I sat down to wait what might befall. 

Now it is, my father, that the white men come into my 
story whom we named the Amaboona, but you call the Boers. 
Ou I I think ill of those Amaboona, though it was I who gave 
I them the victory over Dingaan — I and Umslopogaas. 

Before this time, indeed, a few white men had come to 
and fro to the kraals of Chaka and Dingaan, but these came 
to pray and not to fight. Now the Boers both fight and 
pray, also they steal, or used to steal, which I do not under- 
stand, for the prayers of you white men say that these 
things should not be done. 

Well, when I had been back from the Ghost Mountain 
something less than a moon, the Boers came, sixty of them 
commanded by a captain named Eetief, a big man, and 
armed with roers — the long guns they had in those days — 
or, perhaps they numbered a hundred in all, counting their 
servants and after-riders. This was their purpose : to get a 
grant of the land in Natal that lies between the Tugela and 
the Umzimoubu rivers. But, by my counsel and that of 
other indunas, Dingaan bargained with the Boers that first 
they should attack a certain chief named Sigomyela, who 


200 


ATADA THE LILY 


had stolen some of the king’s cattle, and who lived near 
the Quathlamba Mountains, and bring back those cattle. 
This the Boers agreed to, and went to attack the chief, and 
in a little while they came back again, having destroyed the 
people of Sigomyela, and driving his cattle before them as 
well as those which had been stolen from the king. 

The face of Dingaan shone when he saw the cattle, and 
that night he called us, the council of the Amapakati, 
together, and asked us as to the granting of the country. I 
spoke the first, and said that it mattered little if he granted 
it, seeing that the Black One who was dead had already 
given it to the English, the People of George, and the end 
of the matter would be that the Amaboona and the People 
of George would fight for the land. Yet the words of the 
Black One were coming to pass, for already it seemed we 
could hear the sound of the running of a white folk who 
should eat up the kingdom. 

Now when I had spoken thus the heart of Dingaan grew 
heavy and his face dark, for my words stuck in his breast 
like a barbed spear. Still, he made no answer, but dismissed 
the council. 

On the morrow the king promised to sign the paper giv- 
ing the lands they asked for to the Boers, and all was smooth 
as water when there is no wind. Before the paper was 
signed the king gave a great dance, for there were many 
regiments gathered at the kraal, and for three days this 
dance went on, but on the third day he dismissed the regi- 
ments, all except one, an impi of lads, who were commanded 
to stay. Now all this while I wondered what was in the 
mind, of Dingaan and was afraid for the Amaboona. But 
he was secret, and told nothing except to the captains of 
the regiment alone — no, not even to one of his council. Yet I 
knew that he planned evil, and was half inclined to warn the 
Captain Eetief, but did not, fearing to make myself foolish. 
Ah! my father, if I had spoken, how many would have lived 
who soon were dead ! , But what does it matter ? In any 
case most of them would have been dead by now. 

On the fourth morning, early, Dingaan sent a messenger 
to the Boers, bidding them meet him in the cattle kraal, for 


THE SLAVING OF THE BOERS 


201 


there he would mark the paper. So they came, stacking 
their guns at the gate of the kraal, for it was death for any 
man, white or black, to come armed before the presence of 
the king. Kow, my father, the kraal Umgugundhlovu was 
built in a great circle, after the fashion of royal kraals. 
First came the high outer fence, then the thousands of huts 
that ran three parts round between the great fence and the 
inner one. Within this inner fence was the large open 
space, big enough to hold five regiments, and at the top of 
it — opposite the entrance — stood the cattle kraal itself, that 
cut off a piece of the open space by another fence bent like 
a bow. Behind this again were the Emposeni, the place 
of the king’s women, the guard-house, the labyrinth, and 
the Intunkulu, the house of the king. Dingaan came out on 
that day and sat on a stool in front of the cattle kraal, and 
by him stood a man holding a shield over his head to keep 
the sun from him. Also we of the Amapakati, the council, 
were there, and ranged round the fence of the space, armed 
with short sticks only — not with kerries, my father — was 
that regiment of young men which Dingaan had not sent 
away, the captain of the regiment being stationed near to 
the king, on the right. 

Presently the Boers came in on foot and walked up to the 
king in a body, and Dingaan greeted them kindly and shook 
hands with Ketief, their captain. Then Ketief drew the 
paper from a leather pouch, which set out the boundaries of 
the grant of land, and it was translated to the king by an 
interpreter. Dingaan said that it was good, and put his 
mark upon it, and Retief and all the Boers were pleased, 
and smiled across their faces. Now they would have said 
farewell, but Dingaan forbade them, saying that they must 
not go yet : first they must eat and see the soldiers dance a 
little, and he commanded dishes of boiled fiesh which had 
been made ready and bowls of milk to be brought to them. 
The Boers said that they had already eaten; still, they 
drank the milk, passing the bowls from hand to hand. 

Now the regiment began to dance, singing the Ingomo, 
that is the war chant of us Zulus, my father, and the 
Boers drew back towards the centre of the space to give 


202 


JVADA THE LILY 


the soldiers room to dance in. It was at this moment 
that I heard Dingaan give an order to a messenger to run 
swiftly to the white Doctor of Prayers, who was staying 
without the kraal, telling him not to be afraid, and I won- 
dered what this might mean ; for why should the Prayer 
Doctor fear a dance such as he had often seen before? 
Presently Dingaan rose, and, followed by all, walked 
through the press to where the Captain Ketief stood, and 
bade him good-bye, shaking him by the hand and bidding 
him hambla gachle, to go in peace. Then he turned and 
walked back again towards the gateway which led to his 
royal house, and I saw that near this entrance stood the 
captain of the regiment, as one stands who waits for orders. 

Now of a sudden, my father, Dingaan stopped and cried 
with a loud voice, ‘‘ Bulalani Abatakati!” (slay the wizards), 
and having cried it, he covered his face with the corner of 
his blanket, and passed behind the fence. 

We, the councillors, stood astounded, like men who had 
become stone; but before we could speak or act the captain 
of the regiment had also cried aloud, “ Bulalani Abatakati ! ’’ 
and the signal was caught up from every side. Then, my 
father, came a yell and a rush of thousands of feet, and 
through the clouds of dust we saw the soldiers hurl them- 
selves upon the Amaboona, and above the shouting we heard 
the sound of falling sticks. The Aniaboona drew their knives 
and fought bravely, but before a man could count a hundred 
twice it was done, and they were being dragged, some few 
dead, but the most yet living, towards the gates of the kraal 
and out on to the Hill of Slaughter, and there, on the Hill 
of Slaughter, they were massacred, every one of them. How ? 
Ah ! T will not tell you — they were massacred and piled in 
a heap, and that was the end of their story, my father. 

Now I and the other councillors turned away and walked 
silently towards the house of the king. We found him 
standing before his great hut, and, lifting our hands, we 
saluted him silently, saying no word. It was Dingaan who 
spoke, laughing a little as he spoke, like a man who is un- 
easy in his mind. 

‘‘ Ah, my captains,” he said, “ when the vultures plumed 


THE SLAYING OF THE BOERS 


203 


themselves this morning and shrieked to the sky for blood, 
they did not look for such a feast as I have given them. 
And you, my captains, you little guessed how great a king 
the Heavens have set to rule over you, nor how deep is the 
mind of the king that watches ever over his people’s welfare. 
Now the land is free from the White Wizards of whose foot- 
steps the Black One croaked as he gave up his life, or soon 
shall be, for this is but a beginning. Ho! Messengers!” 
and he turned to some men who stood behind him, away 
swiftly to the regiments that are gathered behind the moun- 
tain, away to them, bearing the king’s word to the captains. 
This is the king’s word : that the impi shall run to the land 
of Natal and slay the Boers there, wiping them out, man, 
woman, and child. Away ! ” 

Now the messengers cried out the royal salute of BayUe, 
and, leaping forward like spears from the hand of the 
thrower, were gone at once. But we, the councillors, the 
members of the Amapakati, still stood silent. 

Then Dingaan spoke again, addressing me : — 

^^Is thy heart at rest now, Mopo, son of Makedama? 
Ever hast thou bleated in my ear of this white people and 
of the deeds that they shall do, and lo ! I have blown upon 
them with my breath and they are gone. Say, Mopo, are 
the Amaboona wizards yonder all dead ? If any be left 
alive, I desire to speak with one of them.” 

Then I looked Dingaan in the face and spoke. . 

^^They are all dead, and thou, 0 King, thou also art 
dead.” 

It were well for thee, thou dog,” said Dingaan, “that 
thou shouldest make thy meaning plain.” 

“Let the king pardon me,” I answered; “this is my 
meaning. Thou canst not kill these white men, for they 
are not of one race, but of many races, and the sea is their 
home ; they rise out of the black water. Destroy those that 
are here, and others shall come to avenge them, more and 
more and more ! Now thou hast smitten in thy hour ; in 
theirs they shall smite in turn. Now they lie low in blood 
at thy hand ; in a day to come, O King, thou shalt lie low 
in blood at theirs. Madness has taken hold of thee, 0 


204 


ATADA THE ULY 


King, that thou hast done this thing, and the fruit of thy 
madness shall be thy death. I have spoken, I, who am the 
king’s servant. Let the will of the king be done.” 

Then I stood still waiting to be killed, for, my father, in the 
fury of my heart at the wickedness which had been worked 
I could not hold back my words. Thrice Dingaaii looked 
on me with a terrible face, and yet there was fear in his 
face striving with its rage, and I waited calmly to see which 
would conquer, the fear or the rage. When at last he spoke, 
it was one word, Qo ! ” not three words, Take him away.” 
So I went yet living, and with me the councillors, leaving 
the king alone. 

I went with a heavy heart, my father, for of all the evil 
sights that I have seen it seemed to me that this was the 
most evil — that the Amaboona should be slaughtered thus 
treacherously, and that the impis should be sent out treach- 
erously to murder those who were left of them, together 
with their women and children. Ay, and they slew — six 
hundred of them did they slay — ^yonder in Weenen, the 
land of weeping. 

Say, my father, why does the Unkulunkulu who sits in 
the Heavens above allow such things to be done on the 
earth beneath ? I have heard the preaching of the white 
men, and they say that they know all about Him — that His 
names are Power and Mercy and Love. Why, then, does He 
suffer these things to be done — why does He suffer such 
men as Chaka and Dingaan to torment the people of the 
earth, and in the end pay them but one death for all the 
thousands that they have given to others ? Because of 
the wickedness of the peoples, you say; but no, no, that 
cannot be, for do not the guiltless go with the guilty — 
ay, do not the innocent children perish by the hundred? 
Perchance there is another answer, though who am I, my 
father, that I, in my folly, should strive to search out the 
way of the Unsearchable ? Perchance it is but a part of the 
great plan, a little piece of that pattern of which I spoke — 
the pattern on the cup that holds the waters of His wisdom. 
Wow / I do not understand, who am but a wild man, nor 


THE WAR WITH THE HALAKAZI PEOPLE 


205 


have I found more knowledge in the hearts of you tamed 
white people. You know many things, but' of these you do 
not know : you cannot tell us what we were an hour before 
birth, nor what we shall be an hour after death, nor why 
we were born, nor why we die. You can only hope and 
believe — that is all, and perhaps, my father, before many 
days are sped I shall be wiser than all of you. For I am 
very aged, the fire of my life sinks low — it burns in my 
brain alone ; there it is still bright, but soon that will go out 
also, and then perhaps I shall understand. 


CHAPTER XXV. 

THE WAR WITH THE HALAKAZI PEOPLE. 

Now, my father, I must tell of how Umslopogaas the 
Slaughterer and Galazi the Wolf fared in their war against 
the People of the Halakazi. When I had gone from the 
shadow of the Ghost Mountain, Umslopogaas summoned a 
gathering of all his headmen, and told them it was his de- 
sire that the People of the Axe should no longer be a little 
people ; that they should grow great and number their cattle 
by tens of thousands. 

The headmen asked how this might be brought about — 
would he then make war on Dingaan the king ? Umslopo- 
gaas answered no, he would win the favour of the king 
thus : and he told them of the Lily maid and of the Hala- 
kazi tribe in Swaziland, and of how he would go up against 
that tribe. Now some of the headmen said yea to this 
and some said nay, and the talk ran high and lasted till the 
evening. But when the evening was come Umslopogaas 
rose and said that he was chief under the Axe, and none 
other, and it was his will that they should go up against 
the Halakazi. If there was any man there who would 
gainsay his will, let him stand forward and do battle with 
him, and he who conquered should order all things. To 
this there was no answer, for there were few who cared to 


2o6 


JVADA THE LILY 


face the beak of Groan-Maker, and so it came about that it 
was agreed that the People of the Axe should make war 
upon the Halakazi, and Umslopogaas sent out messengers 
to summon every fighting-man to his side. 

But when Zinita, his head wife, came to hear of the mat- 
ter she was angry, and upbraided Umslopogaas, and heaped 
curses on me, Mopo, whom she knew only as the mouth of 
Dingaan, because, as she said truly, I had put this scheme 
into the mind of the Slaughterer. “What!’’ she went on, 
“do you not live here in peace and plenty, and must 
you go to make war on those who have not harmed you; 
there, perhaps, to perish or to come to other ill ? You say 
you do this to win a girl for Dingaan and to find favour in 
his sight. Has not Dingaan girls more than he can count ? 
It is more likely that, wearying of us, your wives, you go to 
get girls for yourself, Bulalio; and as for finding favour, 
rest quiet, so shall you find most favour. If the king sends 
his impis against you, then it will be time to fight, 0 fool 
with little wit 1 ” 

Thus Zinita spoke to him, very roughly — for she always 
blurted out what was in her mind, and Umslopogaas could 
not challenge her to battle. So he must bear her talk as 
best he might, for it is often thus, my father, that the 
greatest men grow small enough in their own huts. More- 
over, he knew that it was because Zinita loved him that she 
spoke so bitterly. 

How on the third day all the fighting-men were gath- 
ered, and there might have been two thousand of them, 
good men and brave. Then Umslopogaas went out and 
spoke to them, telling them of this adventure, and Ga- 
lazi the Wolf was with him. They listened silently, and 
it was plain to see that, as in the case of the headmen, 
some of them thought one thing and some another. Then 
Galazi spoke to them briefly, telling them that he knew the 
roads and the caves and the number of the Halakazi cattle ; 
but still they doubted. Thereon Umslopogaas added these 
words : — 

“ To-morrow, at the dawn, I, Bulalio, Holder of the Axe, 
Chief of the People of the Axe, go up against the Halakazi, 


THE WAR WITH THE HALAKAZI PEOPLE 207 


witli Galazi the Wolf, my brother. If but ten men follow 
us, yet we will go. Now, choose, you soldiers ! Let those 
come who will, and let those who will stop at home with 
the women and the little children.’^ 

Now a great shout rose from every throat. 

‘‘We will go with you, Bulalio, to victory or death !” 

So on the morrow they marched, and there was wailing 
among the women of the People of the Axe. Only Zinita did 
not wail, but stood by in wrath, foreboding evil ; nor would 
she bid her lord farewell, yet when he was gone she wept also. 

Now Umslopogaas and his impi travelled fast and far, 
hungering and thirsting, till at length they came to the 
land of the Umswazi, and after a while entered the terri- 
tory of the Halakazi by a high and narrow pass. The fear 
of Galazi the Wolf was that they should find this pass 
held, for though they had harmed none in the kraals as 
they went, and taken only enough cattle to feed them- 
selves, yet he knew well that messengers had sped by day 
and night to warn the people of the Halakazi. But they 
found no man in the pass, and on the other side of it they 
rested, for the night was far spent. At dawn HmslOpogaas 
looked out over the wide plains beyond, and Galazi showed 
him a long low hill, two hours’ march away. 

“ There, my brother,” he said, “ lies the head kraal of the 
Halakazi, where I was born, and in that hill is the great cave.” 

Then they went on, and before the sun was high they 
came to the crest of a rise, and heard the sound of horns on 
its farther side. They stood upon the rise, and looked, and 
lo ! yet far off, but running towards them, was the whole 
impi of the Halakazi, and it was a great impi. 

“ They have gathered their strength indeed,” said Galazi. 
“ For every man of ours there are three of these Swazis ! ” 
The soldiers saw also, and the courage of some of them 
sank low. Then Umslopogaas spoke to them: — 

“Yonder are the Swazi dogs, my children; they are 
many and we are but few. Yet, shall it be told at home 
that we, men of the Zulu blood, were hunted by a pack of 
Swazi dogs ? Shall our women and children sing that song 
in our ears, 0 Soldiers of the Axe ? ” 


2o8 


JVADA THE LILY 


Now some cried Never!” but some were silent; so 
Umslopogaas spoke again : — 

Turn back all who will : there is yet time. Turn back 
all who will, but ye who are men come forward with me. 
Or if ye will, go back all of you, and leave Axe Groan- 
Maker and Club Watcher to see this matter out alone.” 

Now there rose a mighty shout of We will die together 
who have lived together ! ” 

‘^Do you swear it?” cried Umslopogaas, holding Groan- 
Maker on high. 

We swear it by the Axe,” they answered. 

Then Umslopogaas and Galazi made ready for the battle. 
They posted all the young men in the broken ground above 
the bottom of the slope, for these could best be spared 
to the spear, and Galazi the Wolf took command of them ; 
but the veterans stayed upon the hillside, and with them 
Umslopogaas. 

Now the Halakazi came on, and there were four full 
regiments of them. ' The plain was black with them, the air 
was rent with their shoutings, and their spears flashed like 
lightnings. On the farther side of the slope they halted 
and sent a herald forward to demand what the People of 
the Axe would have from them. The Slaughterer answered 
that they would have three things : First, the head of their 
chief, whose place Galazi should fill henceforth; secondly, 
that fair maid whom men named the Lily; thirdly, a thou- 
sand head of cattle. If these demands were granted, then 
he would spare them, the Halakazi ; if not, he would stamp 
them out and take all. 

So the herald returned, and when he reached the ranks of 
the Halakazi he called aloud his answer. Then a great roar 
of laughter went up from the Halakazi regiments, a roar 
that shook the earth. The brow of Umslopogaas the 
Slaughterer burned red beneath the black when he heard 
it, and he shook Groan-Maker towards their host. 

‘^Ye shall sing another song before this sun is set,” he 
cried, and strode along the ranks speaking to this man and 
that by name, and lifting up their hearts with great 
words. 


THE IVAR IVITH THE HALAKAZI PEOPLE 209 


Now the Halakazi raised a shout, and charged to come at 
the young men led by Galazi the Wolf; but beyond the foot 
of the slope was peaty ground, and they came through it 
heavily, and as they came Galazi and the young men fell 
upon them and slew them ; still, they could not hold them 
back for long, because of their great numbers, and pres- 
ently the battle raged all along the slope. But so well did 
Galazi handle the young men, and so fiercely did they fight 
beneath his eye, that before they could be killed or driven 
back all the force of the Halakazi was doing battle with 
them. Ay, and twice Galazi charged with such as he could 
gather, and twice he checked the Halakazi rush, throwing 
them into confusion, till at length company was mixed 
with company and regiment with regiment. But it might 
not endure, for now more than half of the young men were 
down, and the rest were being pushed back up the hill, 
fighting madly. 

Blit all this while Umslopogaas and the veterans sat 
in their ranks upon the brow of the slope and watched. 
“ Those Swazi dogs have a fool for their general,’’ quoth 
Umslopogaas. “ He has no men left to fall back on, and 
Galazi has broken his array and mixed his regiments as 
milk and cream are mixed in a bowl. They are no longer 
an impi, they are a mob.” 

Now the veterans moved restlessly on their haunches, 
pushing their legs out and drawing them in again. They 
glanced at the fray, they looked into each other’s eyes 
and spoke a word here, a word there, '' Well smitten, Galazi ! 
Wow I that one is down ! A brave lad ! Ho ! a good club is 
the Watcher! The fight draws near, my brother!” And 
ever as they spoke their faces grew fiercer and their fingers 
played with their spears. 

At length a captain called aloud to Umslopogaas 
Say, Slaughterer, is it not time to be up and doing ? 
The grass is wet to sit on, and our limbs grow cramped.” 

“Wait awhile,” answered Umslopogaas. “Let them 
weary of their play. Let them weary, I tell you.” 

As he spoke the Halakazi huddled themselves together, 
and with a rush drove back Galazi and those who were 

p 


210 


JVADA THE LILY 


left of the young men. Yes, at last they were forced to 
flee, and after them came the Swazis, and in the forefront 
of the pursuit was their chief, ringed round with a circle of 
his bravest. 

Umslopogaas saw it and bounded to his feet, roaring like 
a bull. At them now, wolves ! ” he shouted. 

Then the lines of warriors sprang up as a wave springs, 
and their crests were like foam upon the wave. As a wave 
that swells to break they rose suddenly, like a breaking 
wave they poured down the slope. In front of them was 
the Slaughterer, holding Groan-Maker aloft, and oh! his 
feet were swift. So swift were his feet that, strive as they 
would, he outran them by the quarter of a spear’s throw. 
Galazi heard the thunder of their rush; he looked round, 
and as he looked, lo ! the Slaughterer swept past him, run- 
ning like a buck. Then Galazi, too, bounded forward, and 
the Wolf-Brethren sped down the hill, the length of four 
spears between them. 

The Halakazi also saw and heard, and strove to gather 
themselves together to meet the rush. In front of Um- 
slopogaas was their chief, a tall man hedged about with 
assegais. Straight at the shield-hedge drove Umslopogaas, 
and a score of spears were lifted to greet him, a score of 
shields heaved into the air — this was a fence that none 
might pass alive. Yet would the Slaughterer pass it — 
and alone ! See ! he steadies his pace, he gathers himself 
together, and now he leaps ! High into the air he leaps ; 
his feet knock the heads of the warriors and rattle against 
the crowns of their shields. They smite upwards with 
the spear, but he has swept over them like a swooping 
bird. He has cleared them — he has lit — and now the 
shield-hedge guards two chiefs. But not for long. Ou ! 
Groan-Maker is aloft, he falls — and neither shield nor axe 
may stay his stroke, both are cleft through, and the Hala- 
kazi lack a leader. 

The shield-ring wheels in upon itself. . Fools ! Galazi 
is upon you! What was that? Look, now! see how many 
bones are left unbroken in him whom the Watcher falls on 
full! What ! —another down ! Close up, shield-men — close 
up ! Ai I are you fled ? 





‘ They smite upwards . . but he has swept over them 

like a swooping bird. ’ 



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THE WAR WITH THE HALAKAZl PEOPLE 


111 


Ah! the wave has fallen on the beach. Listen to its 
roaring — listen to the roaring of the shields ! Stand, you 
men of the Halakazi — stand ! Surely they are but a few. 
So ! it is done ! By the head of Chaka ! they break — they 
are pushed back — now the wave of slaughter seethes along 
the sands — now the foe is swept like floating weed, and from 
all the line there comes a hissing like the hissing of thin 
waters. “ I says the hiss. “ E'gee I S' gee ! " 

There, my father, I am old. What have I to do with the 
battle any more, with the battle and its joy? Yet it is 
better to die in such a fight as that than to live any other 
way. I have seen such — I have seen many such. Oh! 
we could fight when I was a man, my father, but none that I 
knew could ever fight likeUmslopogaas the Slaughterer, son 
of Chaka, and his blood-brother Galazi the Wolf ! So, so ! 
they swept them away, those Halakazi ; they swept them as 
a maid sweeps the dust of a hut, as the wind sweeps the 
withered leaves. It was soon done when once it was begun. 
Some were fled and some were dead, and this was the end 
of that fight. Ho, no, not of all the war. The Halakazi 
were worsted in the field, but many lived to win the great 
cave, and there the work must be finished. Thither, then, 
went the Slaughterer presently, with such of his impi as 
was left to him. Alas ! many were killed ; but how could 
they have died better than in that fight ? Also those who 
were left were as good as all, for now they knew that they 
should not be overcome easily while Axe and Club still led 
the way. 

How they stood before a hill, measuring, perhaps, three 
thousand paces round its base. It was of no great height, 
and yet unclimbable, for, after a man had gone up a little 
way, the sides of it were sheer, offering no foothold except 
to the rock-rabbits and the lizards. Ho one was to be seen 
without this hill, nor in the great kraal of the Halakazi 
that lay to the east of it, and yet the ground about was 
trampled with the hoofs of oxen and the feet of men, 
and from within the mountain came a sound of lowing 
cattle. 

p2 


212 


ATADA THE LILY 


“Here is the nest of the Halakazi,” quoth Galazi the 
Wolf. 

“Here is the nest indeed,” said Umslopogaas; “but how 
shall we come at the eggs to suck them ? There are no 
branches on this tree.” 

“But there is a hole in the trunk,” answered the Wolf. 

Now he led them a little way till they came to a place 
where the soil was trampled as it is at the entrance to a 
cattle kraal, and they saw that there was a low cave which 
led into the cliff, like an archway such as you white men 
build. But this archway was filled up with great blocks 
of stone placed upon each other in such a fashion that it 
could not be forced from without. After the cattle were 
driven in it had been filled up. 

“We cannot enter here,” said Galazi. “ Follow me.” 

So they followed him, and came to the north side of the 
mountain, and there, two spear-casts away, a soldier was 
standing. But when he saw them he vanished suddenly. 

“ There is the place,” said Galazi, “ and the fox has gone 
to earth in it.” 

Now they ran to the spot and saw a little hole in the rock, 
scarcely bigger than an ant-bear’s burrow, and through the 
hole came sounds and some light. 

“ Now where is the hyaena who will try a new burrow ? ” 
cried Umslopogaas. “ A hundred head of cattle to the man 
who wins through and clears the way ! ” 

Then two young men sprang forward who were flushed 
with victory and desired nothing more than to make a great 
name and win cattle, crying : — 

“Here are hyaenas, Bulalio.” 

“To earth, then!” said Umslopogaas, “and let him who 
wins through hold the path awhile till others follow.” 

The two young men sprang at the hole, and he who reached 
it first went down upon his hands and knees and crawled 
in, lying on his shield and holding his spear before him. For 
a little while the light in the burrow vanished, and they 
heard the sound of his crawling. Then came the noise of 
blows, and once more light crept through the hole. The 
man was dead. 


THE WAR WITH THE HALAKAZT PEOPLE 213 

“This one had a bad snake,” said the second soldier; 
“ his snake deserted him. Let me see if mine is better.” 

So down he went on his hands and knees, and crawled as 
the first had done, only he put his shield over his head. 
For awhile they heard him crawling, then once more came 
the sound of blows echoing on the ox-hide shield, and after 
the blows groans. He was dead also, yet it seemed that 
they had left his body in the hole, for now no light came 
through. This was the cause, my father : when they struck 
the man he had wriggled back a little way and died there, 
and none had entered from the farther side to drag him out. 

Now the soldiers stared at the mouth of the passage and 
none seemed to love the look of it, for this was but a poor 
way to die. Umslopogaas and Galazi also looked at it, 
thinking. 

“Now I am named Wolf,” said Galazi, “and a wolf should 
not fear the dark ; also, these are my people, and I must be 
the first to visit them,” and he went down on his hands 
and knees without more ado. But Umslopogaas, having 
peered once more down the burrow, said : “ Hold, Galazi ; I 
will go first ! I have a plan. Do you follow me. And you, 
my children, shout loudly, so that none may hear us move ; 
and, if we win through, follow swiftly, for we cannot hold 
the mouth of that place for long. Hearken, also ! this is my 
counsel to you : if I fall choose another chief — Galazi the 
Wolf, if he is still living.” 

“Nay, Slaughterer, do not name me,” said the Wolf, “for 
together we will live or die.” 

“ So let it be, Galazi. Then choose you some other man 
and try this road no more, for if we cannot pass it none can, 
but seek food and sit down here till those jackals bolt; then 
be ready. Farewell, my children ! ” 

“ Farewell, father,” they answered, “ go warily, lest we 
be left like cattle without a herdsman, wandering and 
desolate.” 

Then Umslopogaas crept into the hole, taking no shield, 
but holding Groan-Maker before him, and at his heels crept 
Galazi. When he had covered the length of six spears he 
stretched out his hand, and, as he trusted to do, he found 


214 


NAD A THE LILY 


the feet of that man who had gone before and died in the 
place. Then Umslopogaas the wary did this: he put his 
head beneath the dead man’s legs and thrust himself on- 
ward till all the body was on his back, and there he held 
it with one hand, gripping its two wrists in his hand. 
Then he crawled forward a little space and saw that he 
was coming to the inner mouth of the burrow, but that the 
shadow was deep there because of a great mass of rock 
which lay before the burrow shutting out the light. This 
is well for me,” thought Umslopogaas, ‘^for now they will 
not know the dead from the living. I may yet look upon 
the sun again.” Now he heard the Halakazi soldiers talk- 
ing without. 

‘‘ The Zulu rats do not love this run,” said one, they fear 
the rat-catcher’s stick. This is good sport,” and a man 
laughed. 

Then Umslopogaas pushed himself forward as swiftly 
as he could, holding the dead man on his back, and sud- 
denly came out of the hole into the open place in the dark 
shadow of the great rock. 

By the Lily,” cried a soldier, “ here’s a third ! Take 
this, Zulu rat ! ” And he struck the dead man heavily with a 
kerrie. And that ! ” cried another, driving his spear through 
him so that it pricked Umslopogaas beneath. ‘^And that! 
and this ! and that ! ” said others, as they smote and stabbed. 

Now Umslopogaas groaned heavily in the deep shadow 
and lay still. ‘^No need to waste more blows,” said the 
man who had struck first. This one will never go back 
to Zululand, and I think that few will care to follow him. 
Let us make an end : run, some of you, and find stones to 
stop the burrow, for now the sport is done.” 

He turned as he spoke and so did the others, and this 
was what the Slaughterer sought. With a swift movement, 
he freed himself from the dead man and sprang to his 
feet. They heard the sound and turned again, but as they 
turned Groan-Maker pecked softly, and that man who had 
sworn by the Lily was no more a man. Then Umslopogaas 
leaped forwards, and, bounding on to the great rock, stood 
there like a buck against the sky. 


THE FINDING OF NAD A 


215 


A Zulu rat is not so easily slain, 0 ye weasels ! ” he 
cried, as they came at him from all sides at once with a 
roar. He smote to the right and the left, and so swiftly 
that men could scarcely see the blows fall, for he struck 
with Groan-Maker’s beak. But though men scarcely saw 
the blows, yet, my father, men fell beneath them. Now 
foes were all around, leaping up at the Slaughterer as rush- 
ing water leaps to hide a rock — everywhere shone spears, 
thrusting at him from this side and from that. Those in 
front and to the side Groan-Maker served to stay, but one 
wounded Umslopogaas in the neck, and another was lifted 
to pierce his back when the strength of its holder was bowed 
to the dust — to the dust, to become of the dust. 

For now the Wolf was through the hole also, and the 
Watcher grew very busy; he was so busy that soon the 
back of the Slaughterer had nothing more to fear — yet 
those had much to fear who stood behind his back. The 
pair fought bravely, making a great slaughter, and pres- 
ently, one by one, plumed heads of the People of the Axe 
showed through the burrow and strong arms mingled in 
the fray. Swiftly they came, leaping into battle as otters 
leap to the water — now there were ten of them, now there 
were twenty — and now the Halakazi broke and fled, since 
they did not bargain for this. Then the rest of the Men of 
the Axe came through in peace, and the evening grew 
towards the dark before all had passed the hole. 


CHAPTER XXVI. 

THE FINDING OF NADA. 

Umslopogaas marshalled his companies. 

There is little light left,” he said, ‘‘ but it must serve 
us to start these conies from their burrows. Come, my 
brother Galazi, you know where the conies hide, take my 
place and lead us.” 

So Galazi led the impi. Turning a corner of the glen, he 


216 


JVADA THE LILY 


came with them to a large open space that had a fountain 
in its midst, and this place was full of thousands of cattle. 
Then he turned again to the left, and brought them to the 
inner side of the mountain, where the cliff hung over, and 
here was the mouth of a great cave. Now the cave was 
dark, but by its door was stacked a pile of resinous wood to 
serve as torches. 

^‘Here is that which shall give us light,^^ said Galazi, 
and one man of every two took a torch and lit it at a 
fire that burned near the mouth of the cave. Then they 
rushed in, waving the flaring torches and with assegais aloft. 
Here for the last time the Halakazi stood against them, 
and the torches floated up and down upon the wave of war. 
But they did not stand for very long, for all the heart was | 
out of them. Wow I yes, many were killed — I do not know 
how many. I know this only, that the Halakazi are no ; 
more a tribe since Umslopogaas, who is named Bulalio, 
stamped them with his feet — they are nothing but a name > 
now. The People of the Axe drove them out into the ; 
open and finished the fight by starlight among the cattle. i 

In one corner of the cave Umslopogaas saw a knot of j 
men clustering round something as though to guard it. He 
rushed at the men, and with him went Galazi and others. 
But when Umslopogaas was through, by the light of his ; 
torch he perceived a tall and slender man, who leaned against 
the wall of the cave and held a shield before his face. 

^'You are a coward!’^ he cried, and smote with Groan- 
Maker. The great axe pierced the hide, but, missing the 
head behind, rang loudly against the rock, and as it struck a 
sweet voice said:^ 

Ah ! soldier, do not kill me ! Why are you angry with 
me ? ” 

Now the shield had come away from its holder’s hands 
upon the blade of the axe, and there was something in the 
notes of the voice that caused Umslopogaas to smite no 
more ; it was as though a memory of childhood had come to 
him in a dream. His torch was burning low, but he thrust 
it forward to look at him who crouched against the rock. 
The dress was the dress of a man, but this was no man’s 








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‘ How are von named who are so fair ? ' 






THE FINDING OF NAD A 


217 


form — nay, rather that of a lovely woman, well nigh white 
in colour. She dropped her hands from before her face, 
and now he could see her well. He saw eyes that shone 
like stars, hair that curled and fell upon the shoulders, and 
such beauty as was not known among our people. And as 
the voice had spoken to him of something that was lost, 
so did the eyes seem to shine across the blackness of 
many years, and the beauty to bring back he knew not 
what. 

He looked at the girl in all her loveliness, and she looked 
at him in his fierceness and his might, red with war and 
wounds. They both looked long, while the torchlight flared 
on them, on the walls of the cave, and the broad blade of 
Groan-Maker, and from around rose the sounds of the fray. 

‘‘How are you named, who are so fair to see ? ” he asked 
at length. 

“I am named the Lily now: once I had another name. 
Nada, daughter of Mopo, I was once; but name and all 
else are dead, and I go to join them. Kill me and make 
an end. I will shut my eyes, that I may not see the great 
axe flash.’’ 

Now Umslopogaas gazed upon her again, and Groan- 
Maker fell from his hand. 

“Look on me, Nada, daughter of Mopo,” he said in a 
low voice ; “ look at me and say who am I.” 

She looked once more and yet again. Now her face 
was thrust forward as one who gazes over the edge of 
the world ; it grew fixed and strange. “ By my heart,” she 
said, “by my heart, you are Umslopogaas, my brother 
who is dead, and whom dead as living I have loved ever and 
alone.” 

Then the torch flared out, but Umslopogaas took hold of 
her in the darkness and pressed her to him and kissed her, 
the sister whom he found after many years, and she kissed 
him. 

“You kiss me now,” she said, “yet not long ago that 
great axe shore my locks, missing me but by a finger’s- 
breadth — and still the sound of fighting rings in my ears ! 
Ah ! a boon of you, my brother — a boon : let there be no 


2I8 


JVADA THE LILY 


more death since we are met once more. The people of the 
Halakazi are conquered, and it is their just doom, for thus, 
in this same way, they killed those with whom I lived 
before. Yet they have treated me well, not forcing me into 
wedlock, and protecting me from Dingaan ; so spare them, 
my brother, if you may.’’ 

Then Umslopogaas lifted up his voice, commanding that 
the killing should cease, and sent messengers running 
swiftly with these words : “ This is the command of Bula- 
lio : that he who lifts hand against one more of the people 
of the Halakazi shall be killed himself ” ; and the soldiers 
obeyed him, though the order came somewhat late, and 
no more of the Halakazi were brought to doom. They 
were suffered to escape, except those of the women and 
children who were kept to be led away as captives. And they 
ran far that night. Nor did they come together again to be 
a people, for they feared Galazi the Wolf, who would be 
chief over them, but they were scattered wide in the world, 
to sojourn among strangers. 

Now when the soldiers had eaten abundantly of the store 
of the Halakazi, and guards had been sent to ward the cattle 
and watch against surprise, Umslopogaas spoke long with 
Nadathe Lily, taking her apart, and he told her all his story. 
She told him also the tale which you know, my father, of 
how she had lived with the little people that were subject to 
the Halakazi, she and her mother Macropha, and how the 
fame of her beauty had spread about the land. Then she 
told him how the Halakazi had claimed her, and of how, 
in the end, they had taken her by force of arms, kill- 
ing the people of that kraal, and among them her own 
mother. Thereafter, she had dwelt among the Halakazi, 
who named her anew, calling her the Lily, and they had 
treated her kindly, giving her reverence because of her 
sweetness and beauty, and not forcing her into marriage. 

And why would you not wed, Nada, my sister,” asked 
Umslopogaas, ‘^you who are far past the age of mar- 
riage ? ” 

cannot tell you,” she answered, hanging her head; i 
“but I have no heart that way. I only seek to be left 
alone.” 


THE FINDING OF NAD A 


219 


Now Umslopogaas thought awhile and spoke. ^‘Do you 
not know then, Nada, why it is that I have made this war, 
and why the people of the Halakazi are dead and scattered 
and their cattle the prize of my arm ? I will tell you : I 
am come here to win you, whom I knew only by report as 
the Lily maid, the fairest of women, to be a wife to Din- 
gaan. The reason that I began this war was to win you 
and make my peace with Dingaan, and now I have carried 
it through to the end.’^ 

Now when she heard these words, Nada the Lily trembled 
and wept, and, sinking to the earth, she clasped the knees 
of Umslopogaas in supplication: ^‘Oh, do not this cruel 
thing by me, your sister,” she prayed ; take rather that 
great axe and make an end of me, and of the beauty which 
has wrought so much woe, and most of all to me who wear 
it! Would that I had not moved my head behind the 
shield, but had suffered the axe to fall upon it. To this end 
I was dressed as a man, that I might meet the fate of a 
man. Ah ! a curse be on my woman’s weakness that 
snatched me from death to give me up to shame ! ” 

Thus she prayed to Umslopogaas in her low sweet voice, 
and his heart was shaken in him, though, indeed, he did not 
now purpose to give Nada to Dingaan, as Baleka wa§ given 
to Chaka, perhaps in the end to meet the fate of Baleka. 

There are many, Nada,” he said, who would think it 
no misfortune that they should be given as a wife to the 
first of chiefs.” 

“ Then I am not of their number,” she answered ; “ nay, 
I will die first, by my own hand if need be.” 

Now Umslopogaas wondered how it came about that 
Nada looked on marriage thus, but he did not speak of the 
matter; he said only, ^‘Tell me then, Nada, how I can 
deliver myself of this charge. I must go to Dingaan as I 
promised our father Mopo, and what shall I say to Din- 
gaan when he asks for the Lily whom I went out to pluck 
and whom his heart desires ? What shall I say to save my- 
self alive from the wrath of Dingaan ? ” 

Then Nada thought and answered, ^‘You shall say 
this, my brother. You shall tell him that the Lily, being 


220 


JVADA THE LILY 


clotlied in the war- dress of a warrior, fell by chance in the 
fray. See, now, none of your people know that you have 
found me; they are thinking of other things than maids 
in the hour of their victory. This, then, is my plan : we 
will search now by the starlight till we find the body of a 
fair maid, for, doubtless, some were killed by hazard in the 
fight, and on her we will set a warrior’s dress, and lay by 
her the corpse of one of your own men. To-morrow, at 
the light, you shall take the captains of your soldiers and, 
having laid the body of the girl in the dark of the cave, 
you shall show it to them hurriedly, and tell them that this 
was the Lily, slain by one of your own people, whom in 
your wrath you slew also. They will not look long on so 
common a sight, and if by hazard they see the maid, and 
think her not so very fair, they will deem that it is death 
which has robbed her of her comeliness. So the tale which 
you must tell to Dingaan shall be built up firmly, and 
Dingaan shall believe it to be true.” 

“And how shall this be, Nada?” asked Umslopogaas. 
“How shall this be when men see you among the captives 
and know you by your beauty ? Are there, then, two such 
Lilies in the land ? ” 

“I shall not be known, for I shall not be seen, Umslopo- 
gaas. You must set me free to-night. I will wander 
hence disguised as a youth and covered with a blanket, 
and if any meet me, who shall say that I am the Lily ? ” 

“And where will you wander, Hada? to your death? 
Must we, then, meet after so many years to part again for- 
ever ? ” 

“ Where was it that you said you lived, my brother ? Be- 
neath the shade of a Ghost Mountain, that men may know 
by a shape of stone which is fashioned like an old woman 
frozen into stone, was it not ? Tell me of the road thither.” 

So Umslopogaas told her the road, and she listened 
silently. 

“ Good,” she said. “ I am strong and my feet are swift ; 
perhaps they may serve to bring me so far, and perhaps, 
if I win the shadow of that mountain, you will find me a 
hut to hide in, Umslopogaas, my brother.” 


THE FINDING OF NADA 


221 


“Surely it shall be so, my sister,” answered Umslopo- 
gaas, “ and yet the way is long and many dangers lie in the 
path of a maid journeying alone, without food or shel- 
ter,” and as he spoke Umslopogaas thought of Zinita, his 
wife, for he guessed that she would not love Nada, although 
she was only his sister. 

“ Still, it must be travelled, and the dangers must be 
braved,” she answered, smiling. “ Alas ! there is no other 
way.” 

Then Umslopogaas summoned Galazi the Wolf and told 
him all this story, for Galazi was the only man whom he 
could trust. The Wolf listened in silence, marvelling the 
while at the beauty of Nada, as the starlight showed it. 
When everything was told, he said only that he no longer 
wondered that the people of the Halakazi had defied Din- 
gaan and brought death upon themselves for the sake of 
this maid. Still, to be plain, his heart thought ill of the 
matter, for death was not done with yet : there before them 
shone the Star of Death, and he pointed to the Lily. 

Now Nada trembled at his words of evil omen, and the 
Slaughterer grew angry, but Galazi would neither add to 
them nor take away from them. “I have spoken that 
which my heart hears,” he answered. 

Then they rose and went to search among the dead for a 
girl who would suit their purpose ; soon they found one, a 
tall and fair maiden, and Galazi bore her in his arms to the 
great cave. Here in the cave were none but the dead, and, 
tossed hither and thither in their last sleep, they looked 
awful in the glare of the torches. 

“They sleep sound,” said the Lily, gazing on them; 
“ rest is sweet.” 

“We shall soon win it, maiden,” answered Galazi, and 
again Nada trembled. 

Then, having arrayed her in the dress of a warrior, and 
put a shield and a spear by her, they laid down the body 
of the girl in a dark place in the cave, and, finding a dead 
warrior of the People of the Axe, placed him beside her. 
Now they left the cave, and, pretending that they visited 
the sentries, Umslopogaas and Galazi passed from spot to 


222 


JVADA THE LILY 


spot, while the Lily walked after them like a guard, hiding 
her face with a shield, holding a spear in her hand, and 
having with her a bag of corn and dried flesh. 

So they passed on, till at length they came to the entrance 
in the mountain side. The stones that had blocked it were 
pulled down so as to allow those of the Halakazi to fly 
who had been spared at the entreaty of Nada, but there 
were guards by the entrance to watch that none came back. 
Umslopogaas challenged them, and they saluted him, but 
he saw that they were worn out with battle and journeying, 
and knew little of what they saw or said. Then he, Galazi, 
and Nada passed through the opening on to the plain beyond. 

Here the Slaughterer and the Lily bade each other fare- 
well, while Galazi watched, and presently the Wolf saw 
Umslopogaas return as one who is heavy at heart, and 
caught sight of the Lily skimming across the plain lightly 
like a swallow. 

do not know when we two shall meet again,’’ said 
Umslopogaas so soon as she had melted into the shadows 
of the night. 

May you never meet,” answered Galazi, for I am sure 
that if you meet that sister of yours will bring death on 
many more than those who now lie low because of her love- 
liness. She is a Star of Death, and when she sets the sky 
shall be blood red.” 

Umslopogaas did not answer, but walked slowly through 
the archway in the mountain side. 

How is this, chief ? ” said he who was captain of the 
guard. Three went out, but only two return.” 

“Fool!” answered Umslopogaas. “Are you drunk with 
Halakazi beer, or blind with sleep? Two went out, and 
two return. I sent him who was with us back to the 
camp.” 

“ So be it, father,” said the captain. “Two went out, and 
two return. All is well ! ” 


THE STAMPING OF THE FIRE 


223 


CHAPTEK XXVII. 

THE STAMPING OF THE FIRE. 

On the morrow the impi awoke refreshed with sleep, and, 
after they had eaten, Umslopogaas mustered them. Alas ! 
nearly half of those who had seen the sun of yesterday 
would wake no more forever. The Slaughterer mustered 
them and thanked them for that which they had done, 
winning fame and cattle. They were merry, recking little 
of those who were dead, and sang his praises and the 
praises of Galazi in a loud song. When the song was 
ended Umslopogaas spoke to them again, saying that the 
victory was great, and the cattle they had won were count- 
less. Yet something was lacking — she was lacking whom 
he came to seek to be a gift to Dingaan the king, and for 
whose sake this war was made. Where now was the Lily ? 
Yesterday she had been here, clad in a moocha like a man 
and bearing a shield; this he knew from the captives. 
Where, then, was she now ? 

Then all the soldiers said that they had seen nothing of 
her. When they had done Galazi spoke a word, as was 
agreed between him and Umslopogaas. He said that when 
they stormed the cave he had seen a man run at a warrior 
in the cave to kill him. Then as he came, he who was 
about to be slain, threw down the shield and cried for 
mercy, and Galazi knew that this was no warrior of the 
Halakazi, but a very beautiful girl. So he called to the 
man to let her alone and not to touch her, for the order was 
that no women should be killed. But the soldier, being 
mad with the lust of fight, shouted that maid or man she 
should die, and slew her. Thereon, he — Galazi — in his 
wrath ran up and smote the man with the Watcher and 
killed him also, and he prayed that he had done no wrong. 

‘^You have done well, my brother,’’ said Umslopogaas. 

Come now, some of you, and let us look at this dead 
girl. Perhaps it is the Lily, and if so that is unlucky for 


224 


JVADA THE LILY 


us, for I do not know what tale we shall tell to Diiigaaii of 
the matter.” 

So the captains went with Umslopogaas and Galazi, and 
came to the spot where the girl had been laid, and by her 
the man of the People of the Axe. 

“ All is as the Wolf, my brother, has told,” said Umslopo- 
gaas, waving the torch in his hand over the two who lay 
dead. “ Here," without a doubt, lies she who was named the 
Lily, whom we came to win, and by her that fool who 
slew her, slain himself by the blow of the Watcher. An ill 
sight to see, and, an ill tale for me to tell at the kraal of 
Dingaan. Still, what is is, and cannot be altered ; and 
this maid who was the fairest of the fair is now none too 
lovely to look on. Let us away ! ” And he turned swiftly, 
then spoke again, saying : — 

Bind up this dead girl in ox hides, cover her with salt, 
and let her be brought with us.” And they did so. 

Then the captains said : “ Surely it is so, my father ; now 
it cannot be altered, and Dingaan must miss his bride.” 
So said they all except that man who had. been captain 
of the guard when Umslopogaas and Galazi and another 
passed through the archway. This man, indeed, said noth- 
ing, yet he was not without his thoughts. For it seemed 
to him that he had seen three pass through the archway, 
and not two. It seemed to him, moreover, that the kaross 
which the third wore had slipped aside as she pressed past 
him, and that beneath it he had seen the shape of a beauti- 
ful woman, and above it had caught the glint of a woman’s 
eye — an eye full and dark, like a buck’s. 

Also, this captain noted that Bulalio called none of the 
captives to swear to the body of the Lily maid, and that 
he shook the torch to and fro as he held it over her — he 
whose hand was of the steadiest. All of this he kept in 
his mind, forgetting nothing. 

Now it chanced afterwards, on the homeward march, my 
father, that Umslopogaas had cause to speak angrily to 
this man, because he tried to rob another of his share of 
the spoil of the Halakazi. He spoke sharply to him, de- 
grading him from his rank, and setting another over him. 


THE STAMPING OF THE FIRE 


225 


Also he took cattle from the man, and gave them to him 
whom he would have robbed. 

And thereafter, though he was justly served, this man 
thought more and more of the third who had passed through 
the arch of the cave and had not returned, and who seemed 
to him to have a fair woman’s shape, and eyes which gleamed 
like those of a woman. 

On that day, then, Umslopogaas began his march to the 
kraal Umgugundhlovu, where Dingaan sat. But before he 
set his face homewards, in the presence of the soldiers, he 
asked Galazi the Wolf if he would come back with him, or 
if he desired to stay to be chief of the Halakazi, as he was 
by right of birth and war. Then the Wolf laughed, and 
answered that he had come out to seek for vengeance, and 
not for the place of a chief, also that there were few of 
the Halakazi people left over whom he might rule if he 
wished. Moreover, he added this : that, like twin trees, they 
two blood-brethren had grown up side by side till their 
roots were matted together, and that, were one of them dug 
up and planted in Swazi soil, he feared lest both should 
wither, or, at the least, that he, Galazi, would wither, who 
loved but one man and certain wolves. 

So Umslopogaas said no more of the chieftainship, but 
began his journey. With him he brought a great number 
of cattle, to be a gift for Dingaan, and a multitude of cap- 
tives, young women and children, for he would appease the 
I heart of Dingaan, because he did not bring her whom he 
I sought — the Lily, flower of flowers. Yet, because he was 
cautious and put little faith in the kindness of kings, Um- 
slopogaas, so soon as he reached the borders of Zululand, 
sent the best of the cattle and the fairest of the maids and 
children on to the kraal of the People of the Axe by the 
Ghost Mountain. And he who had been captain of the 
guard but now was a common soldier noticed this also. 

How it chanced that on a certain morning I, Mopo, sat 
in the kraal Umgugundhlovu in attendance on Dingaan. 
For still I waited on the king, though he had spoken no 
word to me, good or bad, since the yesterday, when I fore- 
told to him that in the blood of the white men whom he 


226 


JVADA THE LILY 


had betrayed grew the flower of his own death. For, my 
father, it was on the morrow of the slaying of the Amaboona 
that Umslopogaas came to the kraal Umgugundhlovu. 

JSTow the mind of Dingaan was heavy, and he sought 
something to lighten it. Presently he bethought him of 
the white praying man, who had come to the kraal seeking 
to teach us people of the Zulu to worship other gods than 
the assegai and the king. Now this was a good man, but 
no luck went with his teaching, which was hard to under- 
stand ; and, moreover, the induuas did not like it, because it 
seemed to set a master over the master, and a king over 
the king, and to preach of peace to those whose trade was 
war. Still, Dingaan sent for the white man that he might 
dispute with him, for Dingaan thought that he himself 
was the cleverest of all men. 

Now the white man came, but his face was pale, because 
of that which he had seen befall the Boers, for he was 
gentle and hated such sights. The king bade him be seated 
and spoke to him saying : — 

‘‘ The other day, 0 White Man, thou toldest me of a place 
of fire whither those go after death who have done wickedly 
in life. Tell me now of thy wisdom, do my fathers lie in 
that place ? 

“How can I know. King,’’ answered the prayer-doctor, 
“who may not judge of the deeds of men? This I say 
only : that those who murder and rob and oppress the inno- 
cent and bear false witness shall lie in that place of fire.” 

“It seems that my fathers have done all these things, 
and if they are in this place I would go there also, for I 
am minded to be with my fathers at the last. Yet I think 
that I should find a way to escape if ever I came there.” 

“ How, King ? ” 

Now Dingaan had set this trap for the prayer-doctor. 
In the centre of that open space where he had caused 
the Boers to be fallen upon he had built up a great pyre of 
wood — brushwood beneath, and on the top of the brush- 
wood logs, and even whole trees. Perhaps, my father, there 
were sixty full wagon-loads of dry wood piled together there 
in the centre of the place. 


THE STAMPING OF THE FIRE 


227 


^‘Thou shalt see with thine eyes, White Man,’’ he an- 
swered, and bidding attendants set fire to the pile all round, 
he summoned that regiment of young men which was left in 
the kraal. Maybe there were a thousand and half a thou- 
sand of them — not more — the same that had slain the Boers. 

Now the fire began to burn fiercely, and the regiment 
filed in and took its place in ranks. By the time that all 
had come, the pyre was everywhere a sheet of raging 
fiame, and, though we sat a hundred paces from it, its heat 
was great when the wind turned our way. 

‘^Now, Doctor of Prayers, is thy hot place hotter than 
yonder fire ? ” said the king. 

He answered that he did not know, but the fire was cer- 
tainly hot. 

“ Then I will show thee how I will come out of it if ever 
I go to lie in such a fire — ay, though it be ten times as big 
and fierce. Ho ! my children ! ” he cried to the soldiers, 
and, springing up, ‘‘ You see yonder fire. Bun swiftly and 
stamp it flat with your feet. Where there was fire let there 
be blackness and ashes.” 

Now the White Man lifted his hands and prayed Dingaan 
not to do this thing that should be the death of many, but 
the king bade him be silent. Then he turned his eyes 
upward and prayed to his gods. For a moment also the 
soldiers looked on each other in doubt, for the fire raged 
furiously, and spouts of flame shot high toward the heaven, 
and above it and about it the hot air danced. But their 
captain called to them loudly: “Great is the king! Hear 
the words of the king, who honours you ! Yesterday we 
ate up the Amaboona — it was nothing, they were unarmed. 
There is a foe more worthy of our valour. Come, my chil- 
dren, let us wash us in the fire — we who are fiercer than 
the fire ! Great is the king who honours us ! ” 

Thus he spoke and ran forward, and, with a roar, after 
him sprang the soldiers, rank by rank. They were brave, 
men indeed ; moreover, they knew that if death lay before 
them death also awaited him who lagged behind, and it is 
far better to die with honour than ashamed. On they 
went, as to the joy of battle, their captain leading them. 


228 


NADA THE LILY 


and as they went they sang the Ingonio, the war-chant of 
the Zulu. Now the captain neared the raging fire ; we saw 
him lift his shield to keep off its heat. Then he was gone 
— he had sprung into the heart of the furnace, and but little 
of him was ever found again. After him went the first 
company. In they went, beating at the fiames with their 
ox-hide shields, stamping them out with their naked feet, 
tearing down the burning logs and casting them aside. 
Not one man of that company lived, my father; they fell 
down like moths which flutter through a candle, and where 
they fell they perished. But after them came other com- 
panies, and it was well for those in this fight who were 
last to grapple with the foe. Now a great smoke was 
mixed with the flame, now the flame grew less and less, 
and the smoke more and more; and now blackened men, 
hairless, naked, and blistered, white with the scorching of 
the fire, staggered out on the farther side of the flames, 
falling to earth here and there. After them came others ; 
now there was no flame, only a great smoke in which men 
moved dimly ; and presently, my father, it was done : they 
had conquered the fire, and that with but very little hurt to 
the last seven companies, though every man had trodden it. 
How many perished ? — nay, I know not, they were never 
counted ; but what between the dead and the injured that 
regiment was at half strength till the king drafted more 
men into it. 

“See, Doctor of Prayers,’^ said Dingaan, with a laugh, 
“ thus shall I escape the fires of that land of which thou 
tellest, if such there be indeed ; I will bid my impis stamp 
them but.’^ 

Then the praying man went from the kraal saying that 
he would teach no more among the Zulus, and afterwards 
he loft the land. When he had gone the burnt wood and 
the dead were cleared away, the injured were doctored or 
killed according to their hurts, and those who had little 
harm came before the king and praised him. 

“New shields and headdresses must be found for you, 
my children,” said Dingaan, for the shields were black 
and shrivelled, and of* heads of hair and plumes there were 
but few left among that regiment. 


THE STAMPING OF THE FIRE 


229 


WowV^ said Dingaan again, looking at the soldiers 
who still lived : shaving will be easy and cheap in that 
place of fire of which the white man speaks/’ 

Then he ordered beer to be brought to the men, for the 
heat had made them thirsty. 

Now though you may not guess it, my father, I have 
told you this tale because it has something to do with my 
story ; for scarcely had the matter been ended when messen- 
gers came, saying that Bulalio, chief of the People of the 
Axe, and his impi were without, having returned with 
much spoil from the slaying of the Halakazi in Swaziland. 
Now when I heard this my heart leaped for joy, seeing 
that I had feared greatly for the fate of Umslopogaas, my 
fosterling. Dingaan also was very glad, and, springing up, 
danced to and fro like a child. 

“Now at last we have good tidings,” he said, at once 
forgetting the stamping of the fire, “and now shall my 
eyes behold that Lily whom my hand has longed to pluck. 
Let Bulalio and his people enter swiftly.” 

Por awhile there was silence; then from far away, 
without the high fence of the great place, there came a 
sound of singing, and through the gates of the kraal rushed 
two great men, wearing black plumes upon their heads, 
having black shields in their left hands, and in their right, 
one an axe and one a club ; while about their shoulders 
were bound wolf-skins. They ran low, neck and neck, with 
outstretched shields and heads held forward, as a buck 
runs when he is hard pressed by dogs, and no such run- 
ning had been seen in the kraal Umgugundhlovu as the 
running of the Wolf- Brethren. Half across the space 
they ran, and halted suddenly, and, as they halted, the dead 
ashes of the fire flew up before their feet in a little cloud. 

“ By my head ! look, these come armed before me ! ” said 
Dingaan, frowning, “and to do this is death. Now say who 
is that man, great and fierce, who bears an axe aloft ? Did 
I not know him dead I should say it was the Black One, 
my brother, as he was in the days of the smiting of Zwide : 
so was his head set on his shoulders and so he was wont 
to look round, like a lion.” 


230 


ATADA THE LILY 


“I think that is Bulalio the Slaughterer, chief of the 
People of the Axe, 0 King,” I answered. 

^‘And who is the other with him? He is a great man 
also. Never have I seen such a pair !” 

I think that is Galazi the Wolf, he who is blood-brother 
to the Slaughterer, and his general,” I said again. 

Now after these two came the soldiers of the People of the 
Axe, armed with short sticks alone. Four by four they came, 
all holding their heads low, and with black shields out- 
stretched, and formed themselves into companies behind the 
Wolf-Brethren, till all were there. Then, after them, the 
crowd of the Halakazi captives were driven in, — women, 
boys, and maids, a great number — and they stood behind 
the ranks huddled together like frightened calves. 

A gallant sight, truly ! ” said Dingaan, as he looked 
upon the companies of black-plumed and shielded warriors. 

I have no better soldiers in my impis, and yet my eyes 
behold these for the first time,” and again he frowned. 

Now suddenly Umslopogaas lifted his axe and started 
forward at full speed, and after him thundered the com- 
panies. On they rushed, and their plumes lay back upon 
the wind, till it seemed as though they must stamp us flat. 
But when he was within ten paces of the king Umslopogaas 
lifted Groan-Maker again, and Galazi held the Watcher on 
high, and every man halted where he was, while once more 
the dust flew up in clouds. They halted in long, unbroken 
lines, with outstretched shields and heads held low; no 
man’s head rose more than the length of a dance-kerrie from 
the earth. So they stood one minute, then, for the third 
time, Umslopogaas lifted Groan-Maker, and in an instant 
every man straightened himself, each shield was tossed on 
high, and from every throat was roared the royal salute, 
“ BayUe ! ” 

‘‘A pretty sight forsooth,” quoth Dingaan; ^^but these 
soldiers are too well drilled who have never done me 
service nor the Black One who was before me, and this 
Slaughterer is too good a captain, I say. Come hither, ye 
twain ! ” he cried aloud. 

Then the Wolf-Brethren strode forward and stood before 
the king, and for awhile they looked upon each other. 


THE LILY IS BROUGHT TO DINGAAN 


231 


CHAPTER XXVIII. 

THE LILY IS BROUGHT TO DINGAAN, 

“How are you named ? ” said Dingaan. 

“We are named Bulalio the Slaughterer and Galazi the 
Wolf, 0 King,’’ answered Umslopogaas. 

“Was it thou who didst send a certain message to the 
Black One who is dead, Bulalio ? ” 

“Yea, 0 King, I sent a message, but from all I have 
heard, Masilo, my messenger, gave more than the message, 
for he stabbed the Black One. Masilo had an evil heart.” 

Now Dingaan winced, for he knew well that he himself 
and one Mopo had stabbed the Black One, but he thought 
that this outland chief had not heard that tale, so he said 
no more of the message. 

“ How is it that ye dare to come before me armed ? 
Know ye not the rule that he who appears armed before 
the king dies ? ” 

“We have not heard that law, 0 King,” said Umslopogaas. 
“ Moreover, there is this to be told : by virtue of the axe I 
bear I rule alone. If I am seen without the axe, then 
any man may take my place who can, for the axe is chief- 
tainess of the People of the Axe, and he who holds it is 
its servant.” 

“ A strange custom,” said Dingaan, “ but let it pass. And 
thou, Wolf, what hast thou to say of that great club of 
thine ? ” 

“ There is this to be told of the club, 0 King,” answered 
Galazi : “ by virtue of the club I guard my life. If I am 
seen without the club, then may any man take my life who 
can, for the club is my Watcher, not I Watcher of the club.” 

“Never wast thou nearer to the losing of both club and 
life,” said Dingaan, angrily. 

“ It may be so, 0 King,” answered the Wolf. “When the 
hour is, then, without a doubt, the Watcher shall cease from 
his watching.” 


232 


JVABA THE LILY 


^‘Ye are a strange pair,’’ quoth. Dingaan. Where have 
you been now, and what is your business at the Place of the 
Elephant ? ” 

^‘We have been in a far country, 0 King!” answered 
.Umslopogaas. ^‘We have wandered in a distant land to 
search for a Flower to be a gift to a king, and in our search- 
ing we have trampled down a Swazi garden, and yonder are 
some of those who tended it ” — and he pointed to the cap- 
tives — “ and without are the cattle that ploughed it.” 

“ Good, Slaughterer ! I see the gardeners, and I hear the 
lowing of the cattle, but what of the Flower ? Where is 
this Flower ye went so far to dig in Swazi soil ? Was it a 
Lily-bloom, perchance ? ” 

‘‘It was a Lily-bloom, 0 King ! and yet, alas ! the Lily has 
withered. Nothing is left but the stalk, white and withered 
as are the bones of men.” 

“What meanest thou?” said Dingaan, starting to his 
feet. 

“That the king shall learn,” answered Umslopogaas ; and, 
turning, he spoke a word to the captains who were behind 
him. Presently the ranks opened up, and four men ran for- 
ward from the rear of the companies. On their shoulders 
they bore a stretcher, and upon the stretcher lay something 
wrapped about with raw ox-hides, and bound round with 
rimpis. The men saluted, and laid their burden down 
before the king. 

“Open!” said the Slaughterer; and they opened, and 
there within the hides, packed in salt, lay the body of a 
girl who once was tall and fair. 

“Here lies the Lily’s stalk, 0 King!” said Umslopogaas, 
pointing with the axe, “but if her flower blooms on any 
air, it is not here.” 

Now Dingaan stared at the sight of death, and bitterness 
of heart took hold of him, since he had desired above all 
things to win the beauty of the Lily for himself. 

“ Bear away this carrion and cast it to the dogs ! ” he 
cried, for thus he could speak of her whom he would have 
taken to wife, when once he deemed her dead. “ Take it 
away, and thou, Slaughterer, tell me how it came about 


THE LILY IS BROUGHT TO DING A AN 


233 


that the maid was slain. It will be well for thee if thou 
hast a good answer, for know thy life hangs on the words.’’ 

So Umslopogaas told the king all that tale which had 
been made ready against the wrath of Dingaan. And when 
he had finished Galazi told his story, of how he had seen the 
soldier kill the maid, and in his wrath had killed the soldier. 
Then certain of the captains who had seen the soldier and 
the maid lying in one death came forward and spoke to it. 

Now Dingaan was very angry, and yet there was nothing 
to be done. The Lily was dead, and by no fault of any 
except of one, who was also dead and beyond his reach. 

Get you hence, you and your people,” he said to the 
Wolf-Brethren. “I take the cattle and the captives. Be 
thankful that I do not take all your lives also — first, because 
ye have dared to make war without my word, and secondly, 
because, having made war, ye have so brought it about that, 
though ye bring me the body of her I sought, ye do not 
bring the life.” 

Now when the king spoke of taking the lives of all the 
People of the Axe, Umslopogaas smiled grimly and glanced 
at his companies. Then saluting the king, he turned to go. 
But? as he turned a man sprang forward from the ranks 
and called to Dingaan, saying : — 

“ Is it granted that I may speak truth before the king, 
and afterwards sleep in the king’s shadow ? ” 

Now this was that man who had been captain of the 
guard on the night when three passed out through the arch- 
way and two returned, that same man whom Umslopogaas 
had degraded from his rank. 

Speak on, thou art safe,” answered Dingaan. 

0 King, thy ears have been filled with lies,” said the 
soldier. Hearken, 0 King ! I was captain of the guard of 
the gate on that night of the slaying of the Halakazi. Three 
came to the gate of the mountain — they were Bulalio, the 
Wolf Galazi, and another. That other was tall and slim, 
bearing a shield high— so. As the third passed the gate, the 
kaross he wore brushed against me and slipped aside. Be- 
neath that kaross was no man’s breast, 0 King, but the shape 
of a woman, almost white in colour, and very fair. In 


234 


NAD A THE LILY 


drawing back the kaross .this third one moved the shield 
Behind that shield was no man’s face, 0 King, but the face 
of a girl, lovelier than the moon, and having eyes brighter 
than the stars. Three went out at the mountain gate, 0 
King, only two returned, and, peeping after them, it 
seemed that I saw the third running swiftly across the 
plains, as a young maid runs, 0 King. This also. Elephant, 
Bulalio yonder denied me when, as captain of the guard, I 
asked for the third who had passed the gate, saying that 
only two had passed. Further, none of the captives were 
called to swear to the body of the maid, and now it is too 
late, and that man who lay beside her was not killed by 
Galazi in the cave. He was killed outside the cave by a 
blow of a Halakazi kerrie. I saw him fall with my own 
eyes, and slew the man who smote him. One thing more. 
King of the World, the best of the captives and the cattle 
are not here for a gift to thee — they are at the kraal of 
Bulalio, Chief of the People of the Axe. I have spoken, O 
King, yes, because my heart loves not lies. I have spoken 
the truth, and now do thou protect me from these Wolf- 
Brethren, 0 King, for they are very fierce.” 

Kow all this while that the traitor told his tale TJmslopo- 
gaas, inch by inch, was edging nearer to him and yet nearer, 
till at length he might have touched him with an out- 
stretched spear. Kone noted him except I, Mopo, alone, 
and perhaps Galazi, for all were watching the face of 
Dingaan as men watch a storm that is about to burst. 

Fear thou not the Wolf-Brethren, soldier,” gasped Din- 
gaan, rolling his red eyes ; the paw of the Lion guards 
thee, my servant.” 

Ere the words had left the king’s lips the Slaughterer 
leapt. He leaped full on to the traitor, speaking never a 
word, and oh ! his eyes were awful. He leaped upon him, 
he seized him with his hands, lifting no weapon, and in his 
terrible might he broke him as a child breaks a stick — nay, 
X know not how, it was too swift to see. He broke him, 
and, hurling him on high, cast him dead at the feet of 
Dingaan, crying in a great voice : — 

Take thy servant. King ! Surely he ^ sleeps in thy 
shadow’ I ” 



Take thy servant, king- ; surely “ he sleeps in thy shadow, 



THE LILY IS BROUGHT TO DING A AN 


235 


Then there was silence, only through the silence was 
heard a gasp of fear and wonder, for no such deed as this 
had been wrought in the presence of the king— no, not since 
the day of Senzangacona the Koot. 

Now Dingaan spoke, and his voice came thick with rage, 
and his limbs trembled. 

“Slay him!’' he hissed. “Slay the dog and all those 
with him 1 ” 

“Now we come to a game which I can play,” answered 
Umslopogaas. “ Ho, People of the Axe ! Will you stand to 
be slaughtered by these singed rats ? ” and he pointed with 
Groan-Maker at those warriors who had escaped without 
hurt in the fire, but whose faces the fire had scorched. 

Then for answer a great shout went up, a shout and a 
roar of laughter. And this was the shout : — 

“No, Slaughterer, not so are we minded ! ” and right and 
left they faced to meet the foe, while from all along the 
companies came the crackling of the shaken shields. 

Back sprang Umslopogaas to head his men; forward 
leaped the soldiers of the king to work the king’s will, if so 
they might. And Galazi the Wolf also sprang forward 
towards Dingaan, and, as he sprang, swung up the Watcher, 
crying in a great voice : — 

“Hold!” 

Again there was silence, for men saw that the shadow of 
the Watcher lay dark upon the head of Dingaan. 

“ It is a pity that many should die when one will suffice,” 
cried the Wolf again. “Let a blow be struck, and where 
his shadow lies there shall the Watcher be, and lo! the 
world shall lack a king. A word, King ! ” 

Now Dingaan looked up at the great man who stood 
above him, and felt the shadow of the shining club lie cold 
upon his brow, and again he shook— this time it was with 
fear. 

“ Begone in peace ! ” he said. 

“A good word for thee. King,” said the Wolf, grinning, 
and slowly he drew himself backwards towards the com- 
panies, saying, “ Praise the king ! The king bids his chil- , 
dren go in peace,” 


236 


NADA THE LILY 


But when Dingaan felt that his brow was no longer cold 
with the shadow of death his rage came back to him, and 
he would have called to the soldiers to fall upon the People 
of the Axe, only I stayed him, saying : — 

“ Thy death is in it, 0 King ; the Slaughterer will grind 
such men as thou hast here beneath his feet, and then once 
more shall the Watcher look upon thee.” 

Kow Dingaan saw that this was true, and gave no com- 
mand, for he had only those men with him whom the lire 
had left. All the rest were gone to slaughter the Boers in 
Natal. Still, he must have blood, so he turned on me. 

^^Thou art a traitor, Mopo, as I have known for long, 
and I will serve thee as yonder dog served his faithless 
servant!” and he thrust at me with the assegai in his 
hand. 

But I saw the stroke, and, springing high into the air, 
avoided it. Then I turned and lied very swiftly, and 
after me came certain of the soldiers. The way was not 
far to the last company of the People of the Axe ; moreover, 
it saw me coming, and, headed by Umslopogaas, who walked 
behind them all, ran to meet me. Then the soldiers who 
followed to kill me hung back out of reach of the axe. 

Here with the king is no place for me any more, my 
son,” I said to Umslopogaas. 

^^Peaf not, my father, I will find you a place,” he 
answered. 

Then I called a message to the soldiers who followed 
me, saying: — 

^^Tell this to the king: that he has done ill to drive 
me from him, for I, Mopo, set him on the throne and I 
alone can hold him there. Tell him this also, that he will 
do yet worse to seek me where I am, for that day when 
we are once more face to face shall be his day of death. 
Thus speaks Mopo the inyanga, Mopo the doctor, who never 
yet prophesied that which should not be.” 

Then we marched from the kraal Umgugundhlovu, and 
when next I saw that kraal it was to burn all of it which 
Dingaan had left unburnt, and when next I saw Dingaan 
— ah ! that is to be told of, my father. 


THE LILY IS BROUGHT TO DINGAAN 


237 


We mar died from the kraal, none hindering us, for there 
were none to hinder, and after we had gone a little way 
Umslopogaas halted and said : — 

‘^ISTow it is in my mind to return whence we came and 
slay this Dingaan, ere he slay me.’’ 

Yet it is well to leave a frightened lion in his thicket, 
my son, for a lion at bay is hard to handle. Doubt not 
that every man, young and old, in Umgugundhlovu now 
stands armed about the gates, lest such a thought should 
take you, my son ; and though just now he was afraid, yet 
Dingaan will strike for his life. When you might have 
killed you did not kill ; now the hour has gone.” 

^^Wise words !” said Galazi. would that the Watcher 
had fallen where his shadow fell.” 

^^What is your counsel now, father?” asked Umslopo- 
gaas. 

This, then : that you two should abide no more beneath 
the shadow of the Ghost Mountain, but should gather your 
people and your cattle, and pass to the north on the track of 
Mosilikatze the Lion, who broke away from Chaka. There 
you may rule apart or together, and never dream of Din- 
gaan.” 

^‘1 will not do that, father,” he answered. “I will 
dwell beneath the shadow of the Ghost Mountain while 
I may.” 

And so will I,” said Galazi, or rather among its rocks. 
What ! shall my wolves lack a master when they would go 
a-hunting? Shall Greysnout and Blackfang, Blood and 
Deathgrip, and their company black and grey, howl for me 
in vain ? ” 

^^So be it, children. Ye are young and will not listen 
to the counsel of the old. Let it befall as it chances.” 

I spoke thus, for I did not know then why Umslopogaas 
would not leave his kraals. It was for this reason : because 
he had bidden Nada meet him there. 

Afterwards, when he found her he would have gone, but 
then the sky was clear, the danger-clouds had melted for 
awhile. 

Oh ! that Umslopogaas my fosterling had listened to me ! 


238 


JVADA THE LILY 


Now he would have reigned as a king, not wandered an out* 
cast in strange lands I know not where ; and Nada should 
have lived, not died, nor would the People of the Axe have 
ceased to be a people. 

This of Dingaan. When he heard my message he grew 
afraid once more, for he knew me to be no liar. 

Therefore he held his hand for awhile, sending no impi to 
smite Umslopogaas, lest it might come about that I should 
bring him his death as I had promised. And before the 
fear had worn away, it happened that Dingaan^s hands 
were full with the war against the Amaboona, because of 
his slaughter of the white people, and he had no soldiers 
to spare with whom to wreak vengeance on a petty chief 
living far away. 

Yet his rage was great because of what had chanced, 
and, after his custom, he murdered many innocent people 
to satisfy it. 


CHAPTER XXIX. 

MOPO TELLS HIS TALE. 

Now afterwards, as we went upon our road, Umslopogaas 
told me all there was to tell of the slaying of the Halakazi 
and of the finding of Nada. 

When I heard that Nada, my daughter, still lived, I wept 
for joy, though like Umslopogaas I was torn by doubt and 
fear, for it is far for an unaided maid to travel from 
Swaziland to the Ghost Mountain. Yet all this while I said 
nothing to Umslopogaas of the truth as to his birth, because 
on the journey there were many around us, and the very trees 
have ears, and the same wind to whiph we whispered might 
whisper to the king. Still I knew that the hour had now 
come when I must speak, for it was in my mind to bring 
it about that Umslopogaas should be proclaimed the son 
of Chaka, and be made king of the Zulus in the place of 
Uingaan, his uncle. Yet all these things had gone cross for 


MOPO TELLS HIS TALE. 


239 


us, because it was fated so, my father. Had I known that 
Umslopogaas still lived when I slew Chaka, then I think 
that I could have brought it about that he should be 
king. Or had things fallen out as I planned, and the Lily 
maid been brought to Dingaan, and Umslopogaas grown 
great in his sight, then, perhaps, I could have brought it 
about. But all things had gone wrong. The Lily was none 
other than Nada; and how could Umslopogaas give Nada, 
whom he thought his sister, and who was my daughter, to 
Dingaan against her will ? Also, because of Nada, Dingaan 
and Umslopogaas were now at bitter enmity, and for this 
same cause I was disgraced and a fugitive, and my counsels 
would no longer be heard in the ear of the king. 

So everything must be begun afresh: and as I walked 
with the impi towards the Ghost Mountain, I thought much 
and often of the manner in which this might be done. But 
as yet I said nothing. 

Now at last we were beneath the Ghost Mountain, and 
looked on the stone face of the old Witch who sits there 
aloft forever waiting for the world to die ; and that same 
night we came to the kraal of the People of the Axe, and 
entered it with a great singing. But Galazi did not enter at 
that time; he was away to the mountain to call his flock 
of wolves, and as we passed its foot we heard the welcome 
that the wolves Jiowled in greeting to him. 

Now as we drew near the kraal, all the women and chil- 
dren came out to meet us, headed by Zinita, the head wife 
of Umslopogaas. They came joyfully, but when they found 
how many were wanting who a moon before had gone thence 
to fight, their joy was turned to mourning, and the voice 
of their weeping went up to heaven. 

Umslopogaas greeted Zinita kindly; and yet I thought 
that there was something lacking. At first she spoke to him 
softly, but when she learned all that had come to pass, her 
words were not soft, for she reviled me and sang a loud 
song at Umslopogaas. 

^^See now. Slaughterer,” she said, ^^see now what has 
jome about because you have listened to this aged fool ! ” — 
that was I, my father — “this fool who calls himself ‘ Mouth M 


240 


JVADA THE LILY 


Ay, a mouth he is, a mouth out of which proceed folly and 
lies! .What did he counsel you to do ? — to go up against 
these Halakazi and win a girl for Dingaan ! And what 
have you done ? — ^you have fallen upon the Halakazi, 
and doubtless have killed many innocent people with that 
great axe of yours, also you have left nearly half of the 
soldiers of the Axe to whiten in the Swazi caves, and in 
exchange have brought back certain cattle of a small breed, 
and girls and children whom we must nourish ! 

Nor does the matter end here. You went, it seems, to 
win a girl whom Dingaan desired, yet when you find that 
girl you let her go, because, indeed, you say she was youx 
sister and would not wed Dingaan. Forsooth, is not the 
king good enough for this sister of yours ? Now what is 
the end of the tale ? You try to play tricks on the king, 
because of your sister, and are found out. Then you kill a 
man before Dingaan and escape, bringing this fool of an 
aged Mouth with you, that he may teach you his own folly. 
So you have lost half of your men, and you have gained 
the king for a foe who shall bring about the death of all 
of us, and a fool for a councillor. Wow I Slaughterer, keep 
to your trade and let others find you wit.” 

Thus she spoke without ceasing, and there was some truth 
in her words. Zinita had a bitter tongue. I sat silent 
till she had finished, and Umslopogaas also remained silent, 
though his anger was great, because there was no crack in 
her talk through which a man might thrust a word. 

Peace, woman ! ” I said at length, do not speak ill of 
those who are wise and who had seen much before you 
were born.” 

Speak no ill of him who is my father,” growled Umslo- 
pogaas. Ay ! though you do not know it, this Mouth whom 
you revile is Mopo, my father.” 

Then there is a man among the People of the Axe who 
has a fool for a father. Of all tidings this is the worst.” 

There is a man among the People of the Axe who has 
a jade and a scold for a wife,” said Umslopogaas, springing 
up. Begone, Zinita ! — and know this, that if I hear you 
snarl more such words of him who is my father, you shall 


MOPO TELLS HIS TALE. 


241 


go further than your own hut, for I will put you away and 
drive you from my kraal. I have suffered you too long.’’ 

I go,” said Zinita. Oh ! I am well served ! I made 
you chief, and now you threaten to put me away.’^ 

‘‘My own hands made me chief,” said Umslopogaas, and, 
springing up, he thrust her from the hut. 

“ It is a poor thing to be wedded to such a woman, my 
father,” he said presently. 

“ Yes, a poor thing, Umslopogaas, yet these are the bur- 
dens that men must bear. Learn wisdom from it, Umslo- 
pogaas, and have as little to do with women as may be ; at 
the least, do not love them overmuch, so shall you find the 
more peace.” Thus I spoke, smiling, and would that he 
had listened to my counsel, for it is the love of women 
which has brought ruin on Umslopogaas ! 

All this was many years ago, and but lately I have heard 
that Umslopogaas is fled into the North, and become a 
wanderer to his death because of the matter of a woman 
who betrayed him, making it seem that he had murdered 
one Lousta, who was his blood brother, just as Galazi had 
been. I do not know how it came about, but he who was so 
fierce and strong had that weakness like his uncle Dingaan, 
and it has destroyed him at the last, and for this cause I 
shall behold him no more. 

Now, my father, for awhile we were silent and alone in 
the hut, and as we sat I thought that I heard a rat stir in 
the thatch. 

Then I spoke. “Umslopogaas, at length the hour has 
come that I should whisper something into your ear, a word 
which I have held secret ever since you were born.” 

“ Speak on, my father,” he said, wondering. 

I crept to the door of the hut and looked out. The 
night was dark and I could see none about, and could hear 
no one move, yet, being cautious, I walked round the hut. 
Ah, my father, when you have a secret to tell, be not so 
easily deceived. It is not enough to look forth and to 
peer round. Dig beneath the floor and search the roof 
also; then, having done all this, go elsewhere and tell your 
tale. The woman was right : I was but a fool, for all my 

K 


242 


ATADA THE LILY 


wisdom and my white hairs. Had I not been a fool I 
should have smoked out that rat in the thatch before ever 
I opened my lips. For the rat was Zinita, my father — Zinita, 
who had climbed the hut, and now lay there in the dark, 
her ear upon the smoke-hole, listening to every word that 
passed. It was a wicked thing to do, and, moreover, the 
worst of omens, but there is little honour among women 
when they would learn that which others wish to hide away 
from them, nor, indeed, do they then wxigh omens. 

So having searched and found nothing, I spoke to 
Umslopogaas, my fosterling, not knowing that death in a 
woman’s shape lay on the hut above us. Hearken,” I 
said, ^^you are no son of mine, Umslopogaas, though you 
have called me father from a babe. You spring from a 
loftier stock. Slaughterer.” 

“ Yet I was well pleased with my fathering, old man,” 
said Umslopogaas, “the breed is good enough for me. Say, 
then, whose son am I ? ” 

Now I bent forward and whispered to him, yet, alas! not 
low enough. “You are the son of the Black One who is 
dead, yea, sprung from the blood of Chaka and of Baleka, 
my sister.” 

“ I still have some kinship with you then,' Mopo, and that 
I am glad of. Wow I who would have guessed that I was 
the son of that Silwana, of that hyaena man ? Perhaps 
it is for this reason that, like G-alazi, I love the company 
of the wolves, though no love grows in my heart for my 
father or any of his house.” 

“ You have little cause to love him, Umslopogaas, for he 
murdered your mother, Baleka, and would have slain you 
also. But you are the son of Chaka and of no other man.” 

“Well, his eyes must be keen indeed, my uncle, who can 
pick his own father out of a crowd. And yet I once heard 
this tale before, though I had long ago forgotten it.” 

“ From whom did you hear it, Umslopogaas ? An hour 
since, it was known to one alone, the others are dead who 
knew it. Now it is known to two ” — ah 1 my father, I did 
not guess of the third ; — “ from whom, then, did you heaj 
it?” 


MOPO TELLS HIS TALE. 


243 


was from the dead; at least, Galazi the Wolf heard 
it from the dead One who sat in the cave on Ghost Moun- 
tain, for the dead One told him that a man would come to 
be his brother who should be named Umslopogaas Bulalio, 
son of Chaka, and Galazi repeated it to me, but I had long 
forgotten it.” 

“ It seems that there is wisdom among the dead,” I an- 
swered, “for lo! to-day you are named Umslopogaas Bulalio, 
and to-day I declare you the son of Chaka. But listen to 
my tale.” 

Then I told him all the story from the hour of his birth 
onwards, and when I spoke of the words of his mother, 
Baleka, after I had told my dream to her, and of the man- 
ner of her death by the command of Chaka, and of the 
great fashion in which she had died, then, I say, Umslopo- 
gaas wept, who, I think, seldom wept before or after. But 
as my tale grew to its end I saw that he listened ill, as a 
man listens who has a weightier matter pressing on his 
heart, and before it was well done he broke in : — 

“So, Mopo, my uncle, if I am the son of Chaka and 
Baleka, Nada the Lily is no sister to me.” 

“Nay, Umslopogaas, she is only your cousin.” 

“Over near of blood,” he said; “yet that shall not stand 
between us,” and his face grew glad. 

I looked at him in question. 

“ You grow dull, my uncle. This is my meaning : that 
I will marry Nada if she still lives, for it comes upon me 
now that I have never loved any woman as I love Nada the 
Lily,” and while he spoke, once more I heard the rat stir in 
the thatch of the hut. 

“Wed her if you will, Umslopogaas,” I answered, “yet 
I think that one Zinita, your Inkosikasi, will find words to 
say in the matter.” 

“ Zinita is my head wife indeed, but shall she hold me 
back from taking other wives, after the lawful custom of 
our people ? ” he asked angrily, and his anger showed me 
that he feared the wrath of Zinita. 

“The custom is lawful and good,” I said, “but it has 
bred trouble at times. Zinita can have little to say if she 


244 


ATABA THE LILY 


continues in her place and you still love her as of old. 
But enough of her. Nada is not yet at your gates, and per- 
haps she will never find them. See, Unislopogaas, it is 
my desire that you should rule in Zululand by right of 
blood, and, though things point otherwise, yet I think a 
way can be found to bring it about.” 

How so ? ” he asked. 

“ Thus : Many of the great chiefs who are friends to me 
hate Dingaan and fear him, and did they know that a son 
of Chaka lived, and that son the Slaughterer, he well might 
climb to the throne upon their shoulders. Also the sol- 
diers love the name of Chaka, though he dealt cruelly 
with them, because at least he was brave and generous. 
But they do not love Dingaan, for his burdens are the 
buidens of Chaka but his gifts are the gifts of Dingaan ; 
therefore they would welcome Chaka’s son if once they knew 
him for certain. But it is here that the necklet chafes, for 
there is but my word to prove it. Yet I will try.” 

‘^Perhaps it is worth trying and perhaps it is not, my 
uncle,” answered Unislopogaas. “ One thing I know : I 
had rather see Nada at my gates to-night than hear all 
the chiefs in the land crying ‘ Hail, 0 King ! ’ ” 

‘‘You will live to think otherwise, Umslopogaas; and 
now spies must be set at the kraal Umgugundhlovu to give 
us warning of the mind of the king, lest he should send 
an impi suddenly to eat you up. Perhaps his hands may 
be too full for that ere long, for those white Amaboona will 
answer his assegais with bullets. And one more word : let 
nothing be said of this matter of your birth, least of all to 
Zinita your wife, or to any other woman.” 

“Fear not, uncle,” he answered; “I know how to be 
silent.” 

How after awhile Unislopogaas left me and went to the 
hut of Zinita, his Inkosikasi, where she lay wrapped in her 
blankets, and, as it seemed, asleep. 

“ Greeting, my husband,” she said slowly, like one who 
wakens. “I have dreamed a strange dream of you. I 
dreamed that you were called a king, and that all the regi- 


MOPO TELLS HIS TALE. 


245 


ments of the Zulus filed past giving you the royal salute, 
Bay^te.” 

Umslopogaas looked at her wondering, for he did not know 
if she had learned something or if this was an omen. “ Such 
dreams are dangerous,’’ he said, and he who dreams them 
does well to lock them fast till they be forgotten.” 

‘^Or fulfilled,” said Zinita, and again Umslopogaas looked 
at her wondering. 

Now after this night I began my work, for I established 
spies at the kraal of Dingaan, and from them I learned all 
that passed with the king./ 

At first he gave orders that an impi should be summoned 
to eat up the People of the Axe, but afterwards came tid- 
ings that the Boers, to the number of five hundred mounted 
men, were marching on the kraal Umgugundhlovu. So 
Dingaan had no impi to spare to send to the Ghost Moun- 
tain, and we who were beneath its shadow dwelt there in 
.peace. 

This time the Boers were beaten, for Bogoza, the spy, led 
them into an ambush ; still few were killed, and they did 
but draw back that they might jump the further, and Din- 
gaan knew this. At this time also the English white men 
of Natal, the people of George, who attacked Dingaan by 
the Lower Tugela, were slain by our soldiers, and those 
with them. 

Also, by the help of certain witch-doctors, I filled the land 
with rumours, prophecies, and dark sayings, and I worked 
cunningly on the minds of many chiefs that were known to 
me, sending them messages hardly to be understood, such as 
should prepare their thoughts for the coming of one who 
should be declared to them. They listened, but the task 
was long, for the men dwelt far apart, and some of them 
were away with the regiments. 

So the time went by, till many days had passed since we 
reached the Ghost Mountain. Umslopogaas had no more 
words with Zinita, but she always watched him, and he went 
heavily. For he awaited Nada, and Nada did not come. 


But at length Nada came. 


246 


JVADA THE LILY 


CHAPTER XXX. 

THE COMING OP NADA. 

One night — it was a night of full moon — I sat alone with 
Umslopogaas in my hut, and we spoke of the matter of our 
plots ; then, when we had finished that talk, we spoke of 
Xada the Lily. 

‘‘Alas! my uncle,” said Umslopogaas sadly, “we shall 
never look more on Xada ; she is surely dead or in bonds, 
otherwise she had been here long ago. I have sought far 
and wide, and can hear no tidings and find nothing.” 

“ All that is hidden is not lost,” I answered j yet I my- 
self believed that there was an end of Xada. 

Then we were silent awhile, and presently, in the silence, 
a dog barked. We rose, and crept out of the hut to see 
what it might be that stirred, for the night drew on, and it 
was needful to be wary, since a dog might bark at the stir- 
ring of a leaf, or perhaps it might be the distant footfall 
of an impi that it heard. 

We had not far to look, for standing gazing at the huts, 
like one who is afraid to call, was a tall slim man, holding 
an assegai in one hand and a little shield in the other. 
We could not see the face of the man, because the light 
was behind him, and a ragged blanket hung about his 
shoulders. Also, he was footsore, for he rested on one leg. 
Xow we were peering round the hut, and its shadow hid 
us, so that the man saw nothing. For awhile he stood still, 
then he spoke to himself, and his voice was strangely soft. 

“Here are many huts,” said the voice, “now how may 
I know which is the house of my brother ? Perhaps if I 
call I shall bring soldiers to me, and be forced to play the 
man before them, and I am weary of that. Well, I will lie 
here under the fence till morning ; it is a softer bed than 
some I have found, and I am worn out with travel — sleep 
I must,” and the figure sighed and turned so that the light 
of the moon fell full upon its face. 


THE COMING OF NAD A 


247 


My father, it was the face of Nada, my daughter, whom 
I had not seen for so many years, yet across the years I 
knew it at once; yes, though the bud had become a 
flower I knew it. The face was weary and worn, but ah ! 
it was beautiful, never before nor since have I seen such 
beauty, for there was this about the loveliness of my daugh- 
ter, the Lily : it seemed to flow from within — ^yes, as light 
will flow through the thin rind of a gourd, and in that she 
differed from the other women of our people, who, when 
they are fair are fair with the flesh alone. 

Now my heart went out to Nada as she stood in the 
moonlight, one forsaken, not having where to lay her 
head, Nada, who alone was left alive of all my children. 
I motioned to Umslopogaas to hide himself in the shadow, 
and stepped forward. 

Ho ! ” I said roughly, who are you, wanderer, and 
what do you here ? ’’ 

Now Nada started like a frightened bird, but quickly 
gathered up her thoughts, and turned upon me in a lordljr 
way. 

“ Who are you that ask me ? she said, feigning a man^s 
voice. 

“One who can use a stick upon thieves and night-prowlers, 
boy. Come, show your business or be moving. You are 
not of this people ; surely that moocha is of a Swazi make, 
and here we do not love Swazis.” 

“ Were you not old, I would beat you for your insolence,” 
said Nada, striving to look brave and all the while searching 
a way to escape. “ Also, I have no stick, only a spear, and 
that is for warriors, not for an old umfagozan like you.” 
Ay, my father, I lived to hear my daughter name me an 
umfagozan — a low fellow ! 

Now making pretence to be angry, I leaped at her with 
my kerrie up, and, forgetting her courage, she dropped her 
spear, and uttered a little scream. But she still held the 
shield before her face. I seized her by the arm, and struck 
a blow upon the shield with my kerrie — it would scarcely 
have crushed a fly, but this brave warrior trembled 
sorely. 


248 


JVADj^ iHE lily 


Where now is your valour, you who name me umfa- 
gozanf’^ I said : ^‘you who cry like a maid and whose arm 
is soft as a maid’s.” 

She made no answer, but hugged her tattered blanket 
round her, and, shifting my grip from her arm, I seized it 
and rent it, showing her breast and shoulder j then I let her 
go, laughing, and said : — 

Lo ! here is the warrior that would beat an old urnfa- 
gozan for his insolence, a warrior well shaped for war! 
Now, my pretty maid who wander at night in the garment 
of a man, what tale have you to tell ? Swift with it, lest 
I drag you to the chief as his prize I The old man seeks a 
new wife, they tell me ? ” 

Now when Nada saw that I had discovered her she threw 
down the shield after the spear, as a thing that was of no 
more use, and hung her head sullenly. But when I spoke 
of dragging her to the chief then she flung herself upon the 
ground, and clasped my knees, for since I called him old, 
she thought that this chief could not be Umslopogaas. 

“ Oh, my father,” said the Lily, oh, my father, have 
pity on me I Yes, yes ! I am a girl, a maid — no wife — and 
you who are old, you, perchance have daughters such as I, 
and in their name I ask for pity. My father, I have 
journeyed far, I have endured many things, to And my way 
to a kraal where my brother rules, and now it seems that I 
have come to the wrong kraal. Forgive me that I spoke to 
you so, my father ; it was but a woman’s feint, and I was 
hard pressed to hide my sex, for my father, you know it is 
ill to be a lonely girl among strange men.” 

Now I said nothing in answer, for this reason only : that 
when I heard Nada call me father, not knowing me, and saw 
her clasp my knees and pray to me in my daughter’s name, 
I, who was childless save for her, went nigh to weeping. 
But she thought that I did not answer because I was angry 
and about to drag her to this unknown chief, and implored 
me the more even with tears. 

My father,” she said, “ do not this wicked thing by me. 
Let me go and show me the path that I shall ask : you who 
are old, you know that I am too fair to be dragged before 


THE COMING OF NAD A 


249 


this chief of yours. Hearken! All I knew are dead, 
I am alone except for this brother whom I seek. Oh ! if 
you betray me may such a fate fall upon your own daugh- 
ter also ! May she also know the day of slavery, and the 
love that she wills not I ” and she ceased, sobbing. 

How I turned my head and spoke towards the hut, 

Chief,” I said, “ your Ehlos4 is kind to you to-night, for 
he has given you a maid fair as the Lily of the Halakazi” 
— here Hada glanced up wildly. ^‘Come, then, and take the 
girl.” 

How Hada turned to snatch up the assegai from the 
ground, but whether to kill me, or the chief she feared so 
much, or herself, I do not know, and as she turned, in her 
woe she called upon the name of Umslopogaas. She found 
the assegai, and straightened herself again. And lo 1 there 
before her stood a tall chief leaning on an axe; but the 
old man who threatened her was gone — not very far, in 
truth, but round the corner of the hut. 

How Hada the Lily looked, then rubbed her eyes, and 
looked again. 

“ Surely I dream ? ” she said at last. ‘‘ But now I spoke 
to an old man, and in his place there stands before me the 
shape of one whom I desire to see.” 

^‘1 thought. Maiden, that the voice of a certain Hada called 
upon one Umslopogaas,” said he who leaned upon the axe. 

“Ay, I called: but where is the old man who treated me so 
scurvily ? Hay, what does it matter ? — where he is, there 
let him stop. At least, you are Umslopogaas, my brother, 
or should be by your greatness and the axe. To the man I 
cannot altogether swear in this light; but to the axe I can 
swear, for once it passed so very near my eyes.” 

Thus she spoke on, gaining time, and all the while she 
watched Umslopogaas till she was sure that it was he and 
no other. Then she ceased talking, and, flinging herself on 
him, she kissed him. 

^^How I trust that Zinita sleeps sound,” murmured Um- 
slopogaas, for suddenly he remembered that Hada was no 
sister of his, as she thought. 

nevertheless, he took her by the hand and said, “ Enter, 


250 


JVADA THE LILY 


sister. Of all maidens in the world you are the most wel* 
come here, for know I believed you dead.’^ 

But I, Mopo, ran into the hut before her, and when she 
entered she found me sitting by the fire. 

Now, here, my brother,^^ said Nada, pointing at me with 
her finger, here is that old unifagozan, that low fellow, who, 
unless I dream, but a very little while ago brought shame 
upon me — ay, my brother, he struck me, a maid, with his 
kerrie, and that only because I said that I would stab him 
for his insolence, and he did worse : he swore that he would 
drag me to some old chief of his to be a gift to him, and 
this he was about to do, had you not come. Will you suffer 
these things to go unpunished, my brother ? 

Now Umslopogaas smiled grimly, and I answered: — 

What was it that you called me just now, Nada, when 
you prayed me to protect you ? Father, was it not and 
I turned my face towards the blaze of the fire, so that the 
full light fell upon it. 

Yes, I called you father, old man. It is not strange, for 
a homeless wanderer must find fathers where she can — 
and yet! no, it cannot be — so changed — and that white 
hand ? And yet, oh ! who are you ? Once there was a 
man named Mopo, and he had a little daughter, and she 
was called Nada — Oh ! my father, my father, I know you 
now ! ” 

“ Ay, Nada, and I knew you from the first ; through all 
your man’s wrappings I knew you after these many years.” 

So the Lily fell upon my neck and sobbed there, and I 
remember that I also wept. 

Now when she had sobbed her fill of joy, Umslopogaas 
brought Nada the Lily maas to eat and mealie porridge. 
She ate the curdled milk, but the porridge she would not 
eat, saying that she was too weary. 

Then she told us all the tale of her wanderings since she 
had fled away from the side of Umslopogaas at the strong- 
hold of the Halakazi, and it was long, so long that I will 
not repeat it, for it is a story by itself. This I will say 
only : that Nada was captured by robbers, and for awhile 
passed herself pff among them as a youth. But, in the end, 


THE COM/NG OF NADA 


251 


they found her out and would have given her as a wife to 
their chief, only she persuaded them to kill the chief and 
make her their ruler. They did this because of that medi- 
cine of the eyes which Nada had only among women, for as 
she ruled the Halakazi so she ruled the robbers. But, at 
the last, they all loved her, and she gave it out that she 
would wed the strongest. Then some of them fell to fight- 
ing, and while they killed each other — for it came about 
that Nada brought death upon the robbers as on all others 
— she escaped, for she said that she did not wish to look 
upon their struggle but would await the upshot in a place 
apart. 

After that she had many further adventures, but at length 
she met an old woman who guided her on her way to the 
Ghost Mountain. And who this old woman was none could 
discover, but Galazi swore afterwards that she was the 
Stone Witch of the mountain, who put on the shape of an 
aged woman to guide Nada to Umslopogaas, to be the sorrow 
and the joy of the People of the Axe. I do not know, my 
father, yet it seems to me that the old witch would scarcely 
have put off her stone for so small a matter. 

Now, when Nada had made an end of her tale, Umslopo- 
gaas told his, of how things had gone with Dingaan. When 
he told her hotv he had given the body of the girl to the 
king, saying that it was the Lilyas stalk, she said it had 
been well done ; and when he spoke of the slaying of the 
traitor she clapped her hands, though Nada, whose heart 
was gentle, did not love to hear of deeds of death. At last 
he finished, and she was somewhat sad, and said it seemed 
that her fate followed her, and that now the People of the 
Axe were in danger at the hands of Dingaan because of 
her. 

^^Ah! my brother,” she cried, taking Umslopogaas by the 
hand, it were better I should die than that I should bring 
evil upon you also.” 

^^That would not mend matters, Nada,” he answered. 
« For whether you be dead or alive, the hate of Dingaan is 
already earned. Also' Nada, know this ; / am not your 
l>r other” 


252 


JV'ADA THE LILY 


When the Lily heard these words she uttered a little cry, 
and, letting fall the hand of Umslopogaas, clasped mine, 
shrinking up against me. 

What is this tale, father ? ’’ she asked. “ He who was 
my twin, he with whom I have been bred up, says that he 
has deceived me these many years, that he is not my brother ; 
who, then, is he, father ? ’’ 

He is your cousin, Nada.’’ 

Ah,’’ she answered, I am glad. It would have grieved 
me had he whom I loved been shown to be but a stranger 
in whom I have no part,” and she smiled a little in the eyes 
and at the corners of her mouth. But tell me this tale 
also.” 

So I told her the story of the birth of Umslopogaas, for 
I trusted her. 

“ Ah,” she said, when I had finished, ah ! you come of a 
bad stock, Umslopogaas, though it is a kingly one. I shall 
love you little henceforth, child of the hyaena man.” 

^^Then that is bad news,” said Umslopogaas, ‘^for know, 
Hada, I desire now that you should love me more than 
ever — that you should be my wife and love me as your 
husband ! ” 

Now the Lily’s face grew sad and sweet, and all the hid- 
den mockery went out of her talk — for Nada loved to 
mock. 

Did you not speak to me on that night in the Halakazi 
caves, Umslopogaas, of one Zinita, who is your wife, and 
Inkosikaas of the People of the Axe ? ” 

Then the brow of Umslopogaas darkened: ^^What of 
Zinita ? ” he said. It is true she is my chieftainess ; is it 
not allowed a man to take more than one wife ? ” 

So I trust,” answered Nada, smiling, else men would 
go unwed for long, for few maids would marry them who 
then must labour alone all their days. But, Umslopogaas, 
if there are twenty wives, yet one must be first. Now this 
has come about hitherto : that wherever I have been it has 
been thrust upon me to be first, and perhaps it might be 
thus once more — what then, Umslopogaas ? ” 

^^Let the fruit ripen before you pluck it, Nada,” he 


THE WAR OF THE WOMEN 


253 

answered. “If you love me and will wed me, it is 
enough.’^ 

“ I pray that it may not be more than enough,” she said, 
stretching out her hand to him. “Listen, Umslopogaas : 
ask my father here what were the words I spoke to him 
many years ago, before I was a woman, when, with my 
mother, Macropha, I left him to go among the Swazi people. 
It was after you had been borne away by the lion, Um- 
slopogaas, I told my father that I would marry no man all 
my life, because I loved only you, who were dead. My father 
reproached me, saying that I must not speak thus of my 
brother, but it was my heart which spoke, and it spoke truly ; 
for see, Umslopogaas, you are no brother to me ! I have 
kept that vow. How many men have sought me in wedlock 
since I became a woman, Umslopogaas ? I tell you that 
they are as the leaves upon a tree. Yet I have given 
myself to none, and this has been my fortune : that none 
have sought to constrain me to marriage. Now I have my 
reward, for he whom I lost is found again, and to him alone 
I give my love. Yet, Umslopogaas, beware ! Little luck 
has come to those who have liDved me in the past ; no, not 
even to those who have but sought to look on me.” 

“I will bear the risk, Nada,” the Slaughterer answered, 
and gathering her to his great breast he kissed her. 

Presently she slipped from his arms and bade him be- 
gone, for she was weary and would rest. 

So he went. 


CHAPTER XXXI. 

THE WAR OF THE WOMEN. 

Now on the morrow at daybreak, leaving his wolves, 
Galazi came down from the Ghost Mountain and passed 
through the gates of the kraal. 

In front of my hut he saw Nada the Lily and saluted her, 
for each remembered the other. Then he walked on to the 
place of assembly and spoke to me. 


254 


JVADA THE LILY 


“So the Star of Death has risen on the People of the 
Axe, Mopo,’^ he said. “Was it because of her coming that 
my grey people howled so strangely last night ? I cannot 
tell, but I know this, the Star shone first on me this morn- 
ing, and that is my doom. Well, she is fair enough to be 
the doom of many, Mopo,’’ and he laughed and passed on, 
swinging the Watcher. But his words troubled me, though 
they were foolish; for I could not but remember that 
wherever the beauty of Nada had pleased the sight of men, 
there men had been given to death. 

Then I went to lead Nada to the place of assembly and 
found her awaiting me. She was dressed now in some 
woman’s garments that I had brought her; her curling hair 
fell upon her shoulders; on her wrist and neck and knee 
were bracelets of ivory, and in her hand she bore a lily 
bloom which she had gathered as she went to bathe in the 
river. Perhaps she did this, my father, because she wished 
here, as elsewhere, to be known as the Lily, and it is the 
Zulu fashion to name people from some such trifle. But 
who can know a woman’s reason, or whether a thing is by 
chance alone, my father ? Also she had begged of me a 
cape I had; it was cunningly made by Basutus, of the 
whitest feathers of 4he ostrich; this she put about her 
shoulders, and it hung down to her middle. It had been a 
custom with Nada from childhood not to go about as do 
other girls, naked except for their girdles, for she would 
always find some rag or skin to lie upon her breast. Per- 
haps it was because her skin was fairer than that of other 
women, or perhaps because she knew that she who hides 
her beauty often seems the loveliest, or because there was 
truth in the tale of her white blood and the fashion came 
to her with the blood. I do not know, my father; at the 
least she did so. 

Now I took Nada by the hand and led her through the 
morning air to the place of assembly, and ah! she was 
sweeter than the air and fairer than the dawn. 

There were many people in the place of assembly, for it 
was the day of the monthly meeting of the council of the 
headmen, and there also were all the women of the kraal, 


THE WAR OF THE WOMEN 


255 


and at their head stood Zinita. Now it had got about that 
the girl whom the Slaughterer went to seek in the caves of 
the Halakazi had come to the kraal of the People of the 
Axe, and all eyes watched for her. 

“TFoio/” said the men as she passed smiling, looking 
neither to the right nor to the left, yet seeing all — “ Wow ! 
but this flower is fair ! Little wonder that the Halakazi 
died for her ! ” 

The women looked also, but they said nothing of the 
beauty of Nada; they scarcely seemed to see it. 

“That is she for whose sake so many of our people lie 
unburied,” said one. 

“Where, then, does she find her fine clothes?” quoth 
another, “she who came here last night a footsore wan- 
derer? ” 

“ Heathers are not enough for her : look ! she must bear 
flowers also. Surely they are fitter to her hands than the 
handle of a hoe,” said a third. 

“Now I think that the chief of the People of the Axe 
will find one to worship above the axe, and that some will 
be left mourning,” put in a fourth, glancing ta Zinita and 
the other women of the household of the Slaughterer. 

Thus they spoke, throwing words like assegais, and Nada 
heard them all, and knew their meaning, but she never 
ceased from smiling. Only Zinita said nothing, but stood 
looking at Nada from beneath her bent brows, while by one 
hand she held the little daughter of Umslopogaas, her child, 
and with the other played with the beads about her neck. 
Presently, we passed her, and Nada, knowing well who this 
must be, turned her eyes full upon the angry eyes of Zinita, 
and held them there awhile. Now what there yas in the 
glance of Nada I cannot say, but I know that Zinita, who 
was afraid of few things, found something to fear in it. 
At the least, it was she who turned her head away, and 
the Lily passed on smiling, and greeted Umslopogaas with 
a little nod. 

“Hail, Nada!” said the Slaughterer. Then he turned to 
his headmen and spoke: “This is she whom we went to the 
caves of the Halakazi to seek for Dingaan. Ou ! the story 


256 


ATADA THE LILY 


is known now; one told it up at the kraal Umgugundh- 
lovu who shall tell it no more. She prayed me to save hei 
from Dingaan, and so I did, and all would have gone well 
had it not been for a certain traitor who is done with, for I 
took another to Dingaan. Look on her now, my friends, 
and say if I did not well to win her — the Lily flower, such 
as there is no other in the world, to be the joy of the People 
of the Axe and a wife to me.’^ 

With one accord the headmen answered: Indeed you 
did well, Slaughterer,” for the glamour of Nada was upon 
them, and they would cherish her as others had cherished 
her. Only Galazi the Wolf shook his head. But he said 
nothing, for words do not avail against fate. Now as I 
found afterwards, since Zinita, the head wife of Umslopo- 
gaas, had learned of what stock he was, she had known that 
Nada was no sister to him. Yet when she heard him de- 
clare that he was about to take the Lily to wife she turned 
upon him, saying : — 

How can this be. Lord? ” 

‘‘Why do you ask, Zinita?” he answered. “Is it not 
allowed to a man to take another wife if he will? ” 

“Surely, Lord,” she said; “but men do not wed their 
sisters, and I have heard that it was because this Nada was 
your sister that you saved her from Dingaan, and brought 
the wrath of Dingaan upon the People of the Axe, the wrath 
that shall destroy them.” 

“So I thought then, Zinita,” he answered; “now I 
know otherwise. Nada is daughter to Mopo yonder in- 
deed, but he is no father to me, though he has been named 
so, nor was the mother of Nada my mother. That is so. 
Councillors.” 

Then Zinita looked at me and muttered, “0 fool of a 
Mouth, not for nothing did I fear evil at your hands.” 

I heard the words and took no note, and she spoke again 
to Umslopogaas, saying : “Here is a mystery, 0 Lord 
Bulalio. Will it then please you to declare to us who is 
your father?” 

“I have no father,” he answered, waxing wroth; “the 
heavens above are my father. I am born of Blood and Fire, 


THE WAR OF THE WOMEN 


257 


and she, the Lily, is horn of Beauty to be my mate. Now, 
woman, be silent.’^ He thought awhile, and added, ^^Nay, 
if you will know, my father was Indabazimbi the Witch- 
finder, the smeller-out of the king, the son of Arpi.’^ This 
Umslopogaas said at a hazard, since, having denied me, he 
must declare a father, and dared not name the Black One 
who was gone. But in after years the saying was taken up 
in the land, and it was told that Umslopogaas was the son 
of Indabazimbi the Witch-finder, who had long ago fled the 
land ; nor did he deny it. For when all this game had been 
played out he would not have it known that he was the son 
of Chaka, he who no longer sought to be a king, lest he 
should bring down the wrath of Panda upon him. 

When the people heard this they thought that Umslopo- 
gaas mocked Zinita, and yet in his anger he spoke truth 
when he said first that he was born of the “heavens above,” 
for so we Zulus name the -king, and so the witch-doctor 
Indabazimbi named Chaka on the day of the great smelling 
out. But they did not take it in this sense. They held 
that he spoke truly when he gave it out that he was born 
of Indabazimbi the Witch -doctor, who had fled the land, 
whither I do not know. 

Then Nada turned to Zinita and spoke to her in a sweet 
and gentle voice : “ If I am not sister to Bulalio, yet I shall 
soon be sister to you who are the Chief’s Inkosikaas, Zinita. 
Shall that not satisfy you, and will you not greet me kindly 
and with a kiss of peace, who have come from far to be 
your sister, Zinita? ” and Nada held out her hands towards 
her, though whether she did this from the heart or because 
she would put herself in the right before the people I do 
not know. But Zinita scowled, and jerked at her necklace 
i of beads, breaking the string on which they were threaded, 

! so that the beads rolled upon the black earthen floor this 
i way and that. 

^ “ Keep your kisses for our lord, girl,” Zinita said roughly. 

I “As my beads are scattered so shall you scatter this Peo- 
’ pie of the Axe.” 

I Now Nada turned away with a little sigh, and the people 
murmured, for they thought that Zinita had treated her 


ATADA THE LILY 


258 

badly. Then she stretched out her hand again, and gave 
the lily in it to Umslopogaas, saying : — 

Here is a token of onr betrothal, Lord, for never a head 
of cattle have my father and I to send — we who are out- 
casts ; and, indeed, the bridegroom must pay the cattle. May 
I bring you peace and love, my Lord ! ’’ 

Umslopogaas took the flower, and looked somewhat foolish 
with it — he who was wont to carry the axe, and not a flower; 
and so that talk was ended. 

Now as it chanced, this was that day of the year when, 
according to ancient custom, the Holder of the Axe must 
challenge all and sundry to come up against him to flght in 
single combat for Groan-Maker and the chieftainship of the 
people. Therefore, when the talk was done, Umslopogaas 
rose and went through the challenge, not thinking that any 
would answer him, since for some years none had dared to 
stand before his might. Yet three men stepped forward, 
and of these two were captains, and men whom the Slaugh- 
terer loved. With all the people, he looked at them aston- 
ished. 

“How is this?’’ he said in a low voice to that captain 
who was nearest and who would do battle with him. 

For answer the man pointed to the Lily, who stood by. 
Then Umslopogaas understood that because of the medicine 
of Nada’s beauty all men desired to win her, and, since he 
who could win the axe would take her also, he must look to 
flght with many. Well, flght he must or be shamed. 

Of the fray there is little to tell, my father. Umslopo- 
gaas killed first one man and then the other, and swiftly, 
for, growing fearful, the third did not come up against 
him. 

“ Ah ! ” said Galazi, who watched, “ what did 1 tell you, 
Mopo? The curse begins to work. Death walks ever with 
that daughter of yours, old man.” 

“I fear so,” I answered, “and yet the maid is fair and 
good and sweet.” 

“That will not mend matters,” said Galazi. 

Now on that day Umslopogaas took Nada the Lily to 
wife, and for awhile there was peace and quiet. But this 


THE WAR OF THE WOMEN 


259 

evil thing came upon Uinslopogaas, that, from the day when 
he wedded Nada, he hated even to look upon Zinita, and 
not at her alone, but on all his other wives also. Galazi 
said it was because Nada had bewitched him, but I know 
well that the only witcheries she used were the medicine of 
her eyes, her beauty, and her love. Still, it came to pass 
that thenceforward, and until she had long been dead, the 
Slaughterer loved her, and her alone, and that is a strange 
sickness to come upon a man. 

As may be guessed, my father, Zinita and the other women 
took this ill. They waited awhile, indeed, thinking that 
it would wear away, then they began to murmur, both to 
their husband and in the ears of other people, till at length 
there were two parties in the town, the party of Zinita and 
the party of Nada. 

The party of Zinita was made up of women and of certain 
men who loved and feared their wives, but that of Nada was 
the greatest, and it was all of men, with Umslopogaas at the 
head of them, and from this division came much bitterness 
abroad, and quarrelling in the huts. Yet neither the Lily 
nor Umslopogaas heeded it greatly, nor, indeed, anything, 
so lost and well content were they in each other’s love. 

Now on a certain morning, after they had been married 
three full moons, Nada came from her husband’s hut when 
the sun was already high, and went down through the rock 
gulley to the river to bathe. On the right of the path to 
the river lay the mealie-fields of the chief, and in them 
laboured Zinita and the other women of Umslopogaas, 
weeding the mealie-plants. They looked up and saw Nada 
pass, then worked on sullenly. After awhile they saw her 
come again fresh from the bath, very fair to see, and having 
flowers twined among her hair, and as she walked she sang 
a song of love. Now Zinita cast down her hoe. 

“Is this to be borne, my sisters?” she said. 

“No,” answered another, “it is not to be borne. What 
shall we do — shall we fall upon her and kill her now ? ” 

“It would be more just to kill Bulalio, our lord,” an- 
swered Zinita. “Nada is but a woman, and, after the 
fashion of us women, takes all that she can gather. But 

s 2 


26 o 


JVADA THE LILY 


he is a man and a chief, and should know wisdom and 
justice/^ 

She has bewitched him with her beauty. Let us kill 
her, said the other women. 

‘‘Nay,’’ answered Zinita, “I will speak with her,” and 
she went and stood in the path along which the Lily walked 
singing, her arms folded across her breast. 

Now Nada saw her and, ceasing her song, stretched out 
her hand to welcome her, saying, “Greeting, sister.” But 
Zinita did not take it. “It is not fitting, sister,” she said, 
“ that my hand, stained with toil, should defile yours, fresh 
with the scent of fiowers. But I am charged with a mes- 
sage, on my own behalf and the behalf of the other wives 
of our Lord Bulalio : the weeds grow thick in yonder corn, 
and we women are few ; now that your love days are over, 
will not you come and help us ? If you brought no hoe 
from your Swazi home, surely we will buy you one.” 

Now Nada saw what was meant, and the blood poured to 
her head. Yet she answered calmly: — 

“ I would willingly do this, my sister, though I have never 
laboured in the fields, for wherever I have dwelt the men 
have kept me back from all work, save such as the weaving 
of fiowers or the stringing of beads. But there is this 
against it — Umslopogaas, my husband, charged me that I 
should not toil with my hands, and I may not disobey my 
husband.” 

“ Our husband charged you so, Nada ? Nay, then it is 
strange. See, now, I am his head wife, his Inkosikaas — it 
was I who taught him how to win the axe. Yet he has 
laid no command on me that I should not labour in his 
fields after the fashion of women, I who have borne him 
children; nor, indeed, has he laid such a command upon 
any of our sisters, his other wives. Can it then be that 
Bulalio loves you better than us, Nada ? ” 

Now the Lily was in a trap, and she knew it. So she 
grew bold. 

“ One must be most loved, Zinita, ” she said, “ as one must 
be most fair. You have had your hour, leave me mine; 
perhaps it will be short. Moreover this : Umslopogaas and 


THE WAR OF THE WOMEN 


261 


I loved eacli other much long years before you or any of his 
wives saw him, and we love each other to the end. There 
is no more to saj^” 

^‘Kay, Nada, there is still something to say; there is this 
to say: Choose one of two things. Go and leave us to be 
happy with our lord, or stay and bring death on all.’’ 

Now Nada thought awhile, and answered : Did I believe 
that my love would bring death on him I love, it might well 
chance that I would go and leave him, though to do so 
would be to die. But, Zinita, I do not believe it. Death 
chiefly loves the weak, and if he falls it will be on the 
Blower, not on the Slayer of Men,” and she slipped past 
Zinita and went on, singing no more. 

Zinita watched her till she was over the ridge, and her 
face grew evil as she watched. Then she returned to the 
women. 

‘‘The Lily flouts us all, my sisters,” she said. “Now 
listen : my counsel is that we declare a feast of women to 
be held at the new moon in a secret place far away. All 
the women and the children shall come to it except Nada, 
who will not leave her lover, and if there be any man whom 
a woman loves, perhaps, my sisters, that man would do well 
to go on a journey about the time of the new moon, for evil 
things may happen at the town of the People of the Axe 
while we are away celebrating our feast.” 

“What, then, shall befall, my sister ?” asked one. 

“Nay, how can I tell?” she answered. “I only know 
that we are minded to be rid of Nada, and thus to be 
avenged on a man who has scorned our love — ay, and on 
those men who follow after the beauty of Nada. Is it not 
so, my sisters ? ” 

“It is so,” they answered. 

• “ Then be silent on the matter, and let us give out our 
feast.”- 

Now Nada told Umslopogaas of those words which she 
had bandied with Zinita, and the Slaughterer was troubled. 
Yet, because of his foolishness and of the medicine of Nada’s 
eyes, he would not turn from his way, and was ever at her 
side, thinking of little else except of her. Thus, when 


262 


JVADA THE LILY 


Zinita came to him, and asked leave to declare a feast of 
women that should be held far away, he consented, and 
gladly, for, above all things, he desired to be free from 
Zinita and her angry looks for awhile ; nor did he suspect 
a plot. Only he told her that Nada should not go to the 
feast; and in a breath both Zinita and Nada answered that 
his word was their will, as indeed it was, in this matter. 

Now I, Mopo, saw the glamour that had fallen upon 
Umslopogaas, my fosterling, and spoke of it with Galazi, 
saying that a means must be found to wake him. Then I 
took Galazi fully into my mind, and told him all that he 
did not know of Umslopogaas, and that was little. Also, 
I told him of my plans to bring the Slaughterer to the 
throne, and of what I had done to that end, and of what I 
proposed to do, and this was to go in person on a journey 
to certain of the great chiefs and win them over. 

Galazi listened, and said that it was well or ill, as the 
chance might be. For his part, he believed that the 
daughter would pull down faster than I, the father, could 
build up, and he pointed to Nada, who walked past us, fol- 
lowing Umslopogaas. 

Yet I determined to go, and that was on the day before 
Zinita won leave to celebrate the feast of women. So I 
sought Umslopogaas and told him, and he listened indiffer- 
ently, for he would be going after Nada, and wearied of 
my talk of policy. I bade him farewell and left him ; to 
Nada also I bade farewell. She kissed me, yet the name of 
her husband was mingled with her good-bye. 

• “Now madness has come upon these two,’’ I said to my- 
self. “Well, it will wear off, they will be changed before 
I come again.” 

I guessed little, my father, how changed they would be. 


ZmiTA COMES TO THE KING 


263 


CHAPTER XXXII. 

ZINITA COMES TO THE KING. 

Dingaan the king sat upon a day in the kraal Umgu- 
gundhlovu, waiting till his impis should return from the 
Income that is now named the Blood River. He had sent 
them thither to destroy the laager of the Boers, and thence, 
as he thought, they would presently return with victory. 
Idly he sat in the kraal, watching the vultures wheel above 
the Hill of Slaughter, and round him stood a regiment. 

My birds are hungry, he said to a councillor. 

^‘Doubtless there shall soon be meat to feed them, O 
King ! ” the councillor answered. 

As he spoke one came near, saying that a woman sought 
leave to speak to the king upon some great matter. 

“Let her come,” he answered; “I am sick for tidings, 
perhaps she can tell of the impi.” 

Presently the woman was led in. She was tall and fair, 
and she held two children by the hand. 

“ What is thine errand ? ” asked Dingaan. 

“Justice, 0 King,” she answered. 

“Ask for blood, it shall be easier to find.” 

“I ask blood, 0 King.” 

“ The blood of whom ? ” 

“ The blood of Bulalio the Slaughterer, Chief of the Peor 
pie of the Axe, the blood of Nada the Lily, and of all those 
who cling to her.” 

Now Dingaan sprang up and swore an oath by the head 
of the Black One who was gone. 

“ What ? ” he cried, “ does the Lily, then, live as the sol- 
dier thought ? ” 

“She lives, 0 King. She is wife to the Slaughterer, and 
because of her witchcraft he has put me, his first wife, 
away against all law and honour. Therefore I, ask ven- 
geance on the witch and vengeance also on him who was 
my husband.” 


264 


NADA THE LILY 


“ Thou art a good wife, ” said the king. May my watch- 
ing spirit save me from such a one. Hearken! I would 
gladly grant thy desire, for I, too, hate this Slaughterer, 
and I, too, would crush this Lily. Yet, woman, thou 
comest in a bad hour. Here I have but one regiment, and 
I think that the Slaughterer may take some killing. Wait 
till my impis return from wiping out the white Amaboona, 
and it shall be as thou dost desire. Whose are those chil- 
dren? 

“ They are my children and the children of Bulalio, who 
was my husband.” 

The children of him whom thou wouldst cause to be 
slain.” 

‘‘Yea, King.” 

“ Surely, woman, thou art as good a mother as wife ! ” said 
Dingaan. “Kow I have spoken — begone! ” 

But the heart of Zinita was hungry for vengeance, ven- 
geance swift and terrible, on the Lily, who lay in her place, 
and on her husband, who had thrust her aside for the Lily’s 
sake. She did not desire to wait — no, not even for an hour. 

“ Hearken, 0 King ! ” she cried, “ the tale is not yet all 
told. This man, Bulalio, plots against thy throne with 
Mopo, son of Makedama, who was thy councillor.” 

“He plots against my throne, woman? The lizard plots 
against the cliff on which it suns itself? Then let him 
plot ; and as for Mopo, I will catch him yet ! ” 

“Yes, 0 King! but that is not all the tale. This man 
has another name — ^he is named Umslopogaas, son of Mopo. 
But he is no son of Mopo : he is son to the Black One who 
is dead, the mighty king who was thy brother, by Baleka, 
sister to Mopo. Yes, I know it from the lips of Mopo. I 
know all the. tale. He is heir to thy throne by blood, 0 
King, and thou sittest in his place.” 

Bor a little while Dingaan sat astounded. Then he com- 
manded Zinita to draw near and tell him that tale. 

Now behind the stool on which he sat stood two council- 
lors only, uobles whom Dingaan loved, and these alone had 
heard the last words of Zinita. He bade these nobles stand 
in front of him, out of earshot and away from every other 


ZmiTA COMES TO THE KING 


265 


man. Then Zinita drew near, and told Dingaaii the tale of 
the birth of Umslopogaas and all that followed, and, by 
many a token and many a deed of Chaka’s which he remem- 
bered, Dingaan the king knew that it was a true story. 

When at length she had done, he summoned the captain 
of the regiment that stood around: he was a great man 
named Faku, and he also summoned certain men who do 
the king’s bidding. To the captain of the impi he spoke 
sharply, saying:— 

Take three companies and guides, and come by night to 
the town of the People of the Axe, that is by Ghost Moun- 
tain, and burn it, and slay all the wizards who sleep therein. 
Most of all, slay the Chief of the People, who is named 
Bulalio the Slaughterer or Umslopogaas. Kill him by tor- 
ture if you may, but kill him and bring his head to me. 
Take that wife of his, who is known as Kada the Lily, alive 
if ye can, and bring her to me, for I would cause her to be 
slain here. Bring the cattle also. Kow go, and go swiftly, 
this hour. If ye return, having failed in one jot of my 
command, ye die, every one of you — ye die, and slowly. 
Begone ! ” 

The captain saluted, and, running, to his regiment, issued 
a command. Three full companies leapt forward at his 
word, and ran after him through the gates of the kraal 
Umgugundhlovu, heading for the Ghost Mountain. 

Then Dingaan called to those who do the king’s bidding, 
and, pointing to the two nobles, his councillors, who had 
heard the words of Zinita, commanded that they should be 
killed. 

The nobles heard, and, having saluted the king, covered 
their faces, knowing that they must die because they had 
learned too much. So they were killed. Now it was one 
of these councillors who had said that doubtless meat would 
soon be found to feed the king’s birds. 

Then the king commanded those who do his bidding that 
they should take the children of Zinita and make away with 
them. 

But when Zinita heard this she cried aloud, for she loved 
her children. Then Dingaan mocked her. 


266 


JVADA THE LILY 


‘^What?” lie said, ^^art tliou a fool as well as wicked? 
Thou sayest that thy husband, whom thou hast given to 
death, is born of one who is dead, and is heir to my throne. 
Thou sayest also that these children are born of him; there- 
fore, when he is dead, they will be heirs to my throne. Am I 
then mad that I should suffer them to live? Woman, thou 
hast fallen into thine own trap. Take them away ! ’’ 

Now Zinita tasted of the cup which she had brewed for 
other lips, and grew distraught in her misery, and wrung 
her hands, crying that she repented her of th^ evil and 
would warn Umslopogaas and the Lily of that which 
awaited them. And she turned to run towards the gates. 1 
But the king laughed and nodded, and they brought her 
back, and presently she was dead also. 

Thus, then, my father, prospered the wickedness of 
Zinita, the head wife of Umslopogaas, my fosterling. 

Now these were the last slayings that were wrought at 
the kraal Umgugundhlovu, for just as Dingaan had made 
an end of them and once more grew weary, he lifted his 
eyes and saw the hillsides black with men, who by their 
dress were of his own impi — men whom he had sent out 
against the Boers. 

And yet where was the proud array, where the plumes and 
shields, where the song of victory? Here, indeed, were 
soldiers, but they walked in groups like women and hung 
their heads like chidden children. 

Then he learned the truth. The impi had been defeated 
by the banks of the Income ; thousands had perished at the 
laager, mowed down by the guns of the Boers, thousands 
more had been drowned in the Income, till the waters were 
red and the bodies of the slain pushed each other under, 
and those who still lived walked upon them. 

Dingaan heard, and was seized with fear, for it was said 
that the Amaboona followed fast on the track of the con- 
quered. 

That day he fled to the bush on the Black Umfolozi river, 
and that night the sky was crimson with the burning of the 
kraal Umgugundhlovu, where the Elephant should trumpet 




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‘ Galazi sat on the lap of the Stone Witch . . Greysnout 

whined at his side.’ 


ZINITA COMES TO THE KING 267 

no more, and the vultures were scared from the Hill of 
Slaughter by the roaring of the flames. 

***** 

Galazi sat on the lap of the stone Witch, gazing towards 
the wide plains below, that were yet white with the moon, 
though the night grew towards the morning. Greysnout 
whined at his side, and Deathgrip thrust his muzzle into 
his hand; but Galazi took no heed, for he was brooding on 
the fall of Umslopogaas from the man that he had been to 
the level of a woman’s slave, and on the breaking up of the 
People of the Axe, because of the coming of Nada. For all 
the women and children were gone to this Feast of Women, 
and would not return for long, and it seemed to Galazi that 
many of the men had slipped away also, as though they 
smelt some danger from afar. 

‘^Ah, Deathgrip,” said Galazi aloud to the wild brute at 
his side, “changed is the Wolf King my brother, all 
changed because of a woman’s kiss. Now he hunts no 
more, no more shall Groan-Maker be aloft; it is a woman’s 
kiss he craves, not the touch of your rough tongue, it is a 
woman’s hand he holds, not the smooth haft of horn, he, 
who of all men, was the fiercest and the first; for this last 
shame has overtaken him. Surely Chaka was a great king 
though an evil, and he showed his greatness when he for- 
bade marriage to the warriors, marriage that makes the 
heart soft and turns blood to water.” 

Now Galazi ceased, and gazed idly towards the kraal of 
the People of the Axe, and as he looked his eyes caught a 
gleam of light that seemed to travel in and out of the edge 
of the shadow of Ghost Mountain as a woman’s needle 
travels through a skin, now seen and now lost in the skin. 

He started and watched. Ah ! there the light came out 
from the shadow. Now, by Chaka’s head, it was the light 
of spears! 

One moment more Galazi watched. It was a little impi, 
perhaps they numbered two hundred men, running silently, 
but not to battle, for they wore no plumes. Yet they went 
out to kill, for they ran in companies, and each man carried 
assegais and a shield. 


268 


JVADA THE LILY 


Now Galazi had heard tell of such impis that hunt 
night, and he knew well that these were the king’s, dogs, 
and their game was men, a big kraal of sleeping men, other- 
wise there had been fewer dogs. Is a whole pack sent out 
to catch an antelope on its form? Galazi wondered whom 
they sought. Ah! now they turned to the ford, and he 
knew. It was his brother Umslopogaas and Nada the Lily 
and the People of the Axe. These were the king’s dogs, 
and Zinita had let them slip. Por this reason she had 
called a feast of women, and taken the children with her; 
for this reason so many had been summoned from the kraal 
by one means or another; it was that they might escape 
the slaughter. 

Galazi bounded to his feet. Por one moment he thought. 
Might not these hunters be hunted? Could he not destroy 
them by the jaws of the wolves as once before they had de- 
stroyed a certain impi of the king’s. Ay, if he had seen 
them but one hour before, then scarcely a man of them 
should have lived to reach the stream, for he would have 
waylaid them with his wolves. But now it might not be ; the 
soldiers neared the ford, and Galazi knew well that his grey 
people would not hunt on the further plain, though for this 
he had heard one reason only, that which was given him by 
the lips of the dead in a dream. 

What, then, might be done ? One thing alone : warn 
Umslopogaas. Yet how ? Por him who could swim a 
rushing river, there was, indeed, a swifter way to the place 
of the People of the Axe — a way that was to the path of 
the impi as is the bow-string to the strung bow. And yet 
they had travelled wellnigh half the length of the bow. 
Still, he might do it, he whose feet were the swiftest in the 
land, except those of Umslopogaas. At the least, he would 
try. Mayhap, the impi would tarry to drink at the ford. 

So Galazi thought in his heart, and his thought was swift 
as the light. Then with a bound he was away down the 
mountain side. Prom boulder to boulder he leapt like a 
buck, he crashed through the brake like a bull, he skimmed 
the level like a swallow. The mountain was travelled now ; 
there in front of him lay the yellow river foaming in its 


ZmiTA COMES TO THE KING 


269 

flood, so he had swum it before when he went to seek the 
dead. Ah! a good leap far out into the torrent; it was 
strong, but he breasted it. He was through, he stood upon 
the bank shaking the water from him like a dog, and now 
he was away up the narrow gorge of stone to the long slope, 
running low as his wolves ran. 

Before him lay the town — one side shone silver with the 
sinking moon, one was grey with the breaking dawn. Ah! 
they were there, he saw them moving through the grass by 
the eastern gate; he saw the long lines of slayers creep to 
the left and the right. 

How could he pass them before the circle of death was 
drawn? Six spear-throws to run, and they had but such a 
little way ! The mealie-plants were tall, and at a spot they 
almost touched the fence. Up the path! Could Umslopo- 
gaas, his brother, move more fast, he wondered, than the 
Wolf who sped to save him? He was there, hidden by the 
mealie stalks, and there, along the fence to the right and to 
the left, the slayers crept! 

^^Wowl What was that?” said one soldier of the king to 
another man as they joined their guard completing the death 
circle. ‘‘ Wow 1 something great and black crashed through 
the fence before me.” 

I heard it, brother, ” answered the other man. I heard 
it, but I saw nothing. It must have been a dog : no man 
could leap so high.” 

“More like a wolf,” said the first; “at the least, let us 
pray that it was not an Esedowan ^ who will put us into 
the hole in its back. Is your fire ready, brother ? Wow I 
these wizards shall wake warm; the signal should be soon.” 

Then arose the sound of a great voice crying, “ Awake, 
ye sleepers, the foe is at your gates ! ” 

1 A fabulous animal, reported by the Zulus to carry off human beings in 
a hole in its back. 


270 


NADA THE LILY 


CHAPTER XXXIII. 

THE END OF THE PEOPLE, BLACK AND GREY. 

Galazi rushed through the town crying aloud, and 
behind him rose the stir of men. All slept and no senti- 
nels were set, for Umslopogaas was so lost in his love for 
the Lily that he forgot his wisdom, and thought no more of 
war or death or of the hate of Dingaan. Presently the 
Wolf came to the large new hut which Umslopogaas had 
caused to be built for Nada the Lily, and entered it, for there 
he knew that he should find his brother Bulalio. On the 
far side of the hut the two lay sleeping, and the head of 
Umslopogaas rested on the Lily’s breast, and by his side 
gleamed the great axe Groan-Maker. 

Awake!” cried the Wolf. 

Now Umslopogaas sprang to his feet grasping at his axe, 
but Nada threw her arms wide, murmuring : Let me sleep 
on, sweet is sleep.” 

Sound shall . ye sleep anon I ” gasped Galazi. Swift, 
brother, bind on the wolf’s hide, take shield ! Swift, I say 
— for the Slayers of the king are at your gates ! ” 

Now Nada sprang up also, and they did his bidding like 
people in a dream ; and, while they found their garments 
and a shield, Galazi took beer and drank it, and got his 
breath again. They stood without the hut. Now the 
heaven was grey, and east and west and north and south 
tongues of fiame shot up against the sky, for the town had 
been fired by the Slayers. 

Umslopogaas looked and his sense came back to him : hf^ 
understood. “ Which way, brother? ” he said. 

Through the fire and the impi to our Grey People on 
the mountain,” said Galazi. There, if we can win it, we 
shall find succour.” 

What of my people in the kraal? ” asked Umslopogaas. 

They are not many, brother ; the women and the chil- 
dren are gone. I have roused the men — most will escape. 
Hence, ere we burn ! ” 


END OF THE PEOPLE, BLACK AND GREY 271 

Now they ran towards the fence, and as they went men 
joined them to the number of ten, half awakened, fear- 
stricken, armed — some with spears, some with clubs — and 
for the most part naked. They sped on together towards the 
fence of the town that was now but a ring of fire, U mslopo- 
gaas and Galazi in front, each holding the Lily by a hand. 
They neared the fence — from without came the shouts of 
the Slayers — lo ! it was afire. Nada shrank back in fear, 
but Umslopogaas and Galazi dragged her on. They rushed 
at the blazing fence, smiting with axe and club. It broke 
before them, they were through but little harmed. With- 
out were a knot of the Slayers, standing back a small space 
■ because of the heat of the flames. The Slayers saw them, 
and crying, ‘^This is Bulalio, kill the wizard!’^ sprang 
towards them with uplifted spears. Now the People of 
the Axe made a ring round Nada, and in the front of it 
were Umslopogaas and Galazi. Then they rushed on and 
met those of the Slayers who stood before them, and the mer 
of Dingaan were swept away and scattered by Groan-Maker 
and the Watcher, as dust is swept of a wind, as grass is 
swept by a sickle. 

They were through with only one man slain, but the cry 
went up that the chief of the wizards and the Lily, his 
wife, had fled. Then, as it was these whom he was chiefly 
I charged to kill, the captain called off the impi from watch- 
I ing for the dwellers in the town, and started in pursuit 
j of Umslopogaas. Now, at this time nearly a hundred 
men of the People of the Axe had been killed and of the 
Slayers some fifty men, for, having been awakened by the 
crying of Galazi, the soldiers of the axe fought bravely, 
though none saw where his brother stood, and none knew 
whither their chief had fled except those teii who went with 
the brethren. 

Meanwhile, the Wolf-Brethren and those with them were 
well away, and it had been easy for them to escape, who 
t were the swiftest-footed of any in the land. But the pace 
i of a regiment is the pace of its slowest-footed soldier, and 
Nada could not run with the Wolf-Brethren. Yet they 
made good speed, and were halfway down the gorge that 

i 


272 


JVADA THE LILY 


led to the river before the companies of Dingaan poured 
into it. Now they came to the end of it, and the foe was 
near — ^this end of the gorge is narrow, my father, like the 
neck of a gourd — then Galazi stopped and spoke : — 

“Halt! ye People of the Axe,” he said, “and let us talk 
awhile with these who follow till we get our breath again. 
But you, my brother, pass the river with the Lily in your 
hand. We will join you in the forest ; but if perchance we 
cannot find you, you know what must be done : set the Lily 
in the cave, then return and call up the grey impi. Wow I 
my brother, I must find you if I may, for if these men of 
Dingaan have a mind for sport there shall be such a hunt- 
ing on the Ghost Mountain as the old Witch has not seen. 
Go now, my brother ! ” 

“ It is not my way to turn and run while others stand 
and fight,” growled Umslopogaas ; “ yet, because of Nada, 
it seems that I must.” 

“ Oh ! heed me not, my love,” said Nada, “I have brought 
the sorrow — I am weary, let me die ; kill me and save 
yourselves I ” 

For answer, Umslopogaas took her by the hand and fied 
towards the river ; but before he reached it he heard the 
sounds of the fray, the war-cry of the Slayers as they 
poured upon the People of the Axe, the howl of his brother, 
the Wolf, when the battle joined — ay, and the crash of the 
Watcher as the blow went home. 

“Well bitten. Wolf!” he said, stopping; “that one shall 
need no more ; oh ! that I might ” — but again he looked at 
Nada, and sped on. 

Now they had leaped into the foaming river, and here it 
was well that the Lily could swim, else both had been lost. 
But they won through and passed forward to the mountain’s 
flank. Here they walked on among the trees till the forest 
was almost passed, and at length Umslopogaas heard the 
howling of a wolf. 

Then he must set Nada on his shoulders and carry her as 
once Galazi had carried another, for it was death for any 
except the Wolf-Brethren to walk on the Ghost Mountain 
when the wolves were awake. 


END OF THE PEOPLE, PLACE AND GREY 273 

• 

Presently the wolves flocked around him, and leaped upon 
him in joy, glaring with fierce eyes at her who sat upon his 
shoulders. Nada saw them, and almost fell from her seat, 
fainting with fear, for they were many and dreadful, and 
when they howled her blood turned to ice. 

But Umslopogaas cheered her, telling her that these were 
his dogs with whom he went out hunting, and with whom 
he should hunt presently. At length they came to the 
knees of the Old Witch and the entrance to the cave. It 
was empty except for a wolf or two, for Galazi abode here 
seldom now ; but when he was on the mountain would sleep 
in the forest, which was nearer the kraal of his brother the 
Slaughterer. 

Here you must stay, sweet,’’ said Umslopogaas when he 
had driven out the wolves. “ Here you must rest till this 
little matter of the Slayers is finished. Would that we had 
brought food, but we had little time to seek it! See, now I 
will show you the secret of the stone ; thus far I will push it, 
no farther. Now a touch only is needed to send it over the 
socket and home ; but then they must be two strong men who 
can pull it back again. Therefore push it no farther except 
in the utmost need, lest it remain where it fall, whether you 
will it or not. Have no fear, you are safe here ; none know 
of this place except Galazi, myself and the wolves, and none 
shall find it. Now I must be going to find Galazi, if he still 
lives j if not, to make what play I can against the Slayers, 
alone with the wolves.” 

Now Nada wept, saying that she feared to be left, and that 
she should never see him more, and her grief wrung his heart. 
Nevertheless, Umslopogaas kissed her and went, closing the 
stone after him in that fashion of which he had spoken. 
When the stone was shut the cave was almost dark, except 
for a ray of light that entered by a hole little larger than a 
man’s hand, that, looked at from within, was on the right 
of the stone. Nada sat herself so that this ray struck full 
on her, for she loved light, and without it she would pine 
as flowers do. There she sat and thought in the darksome 
cave, and was filled with fear and sorrow. And while she 
brooded thus, suddenly the ray went out, and she heard a 

- - T 


274 


JVADA THE LILY 


noise as of some beast that smells at prey. She looked, and 
in the gloom she saw the sharp nose and grinning fangs of 
a wolf that were thrust towards her through the little hole. 

Nada cried aloud in fear, and the fangs were snatched 
back, but presently she heard a scratching without the cave, 
and saw the stone shake. Then she thought in her foolish- 
ness that the wolf knew how to open the stone, and that he 
would do this, and devour her, for she had heard the tale 
that all these wolves were the ghosts of evil men, having 
the understanding of men. So, in her fear and folly, she 
seized the rock and dragged on it as Umslopogaas had 
shown her how to do. It shook, it slipped over the socket 
ledge, and rolled home like a pebble down the mouth of a 
gourd. 

^‘Now I am safe from the wolves,^^ said Nada. ^‘See, I 
cannot so much as stir the stone from within, and still less 
can they do so from without.” And she laughed a little, 
then ceased from laughing and spoke again. Yet it would 
be ill if Umslopogaas came back no more to roll away that 
rock, for then I should be like one in a grave — as one who 
is placed in a grave being yet strong and quick.” She 
shuddered as she thought of it, but presently started up 
and set her ear to the hole to listen, for from far down the 
mountain there rose a mighty howling and a din of men. 

When Umslopogaas had shut the cave, he moved swiftly 
down the mountain, and with him went certain of the wolves ; 
not all, for he had not summoned them. His heart was heavy, 
for he feared that Galazi was no more. Also he was mad 
with rage, and plotted in himself to destroy the Slayers of 
the king, every man of them ; but first he must learn what 
they would do. Presently, as he wended, he heard a long, 
low howl far away in the forest; then he rejoiced, for he 
knew the call — it was the call of Galazi, who had escaped 
the spears of the Slayers. 

Swiftly he ran, calling in answer. He won the place. 
There, seated on a stone resting himself, was Galazi, and 
round him surged the numbers of the Grey People. Umslo- 
pogaas came to him and looked at him, for he seemed some- 


END OF THE PEOPLE, BLACK AND GREY 275 

what weary. There were flesh wounds on his great breast 
and arms, the little shield was wellnigh hewn to strips, and 
the Watcher showed signs of war. 

‘^How went it, brother ? ’’ asked Umslopogaas. 

Not so ill, but all those who stood with me in the way 
are dead, and with them a few of the foe. I alone am fled 
like a coward. They came on us thrice, but we held them 
back till the Lily was safe ; then, all our men being down, I 
ran, Umslopogaas, and swam the torrent, for I was minded 
to die here in my own place.’’ 

Now, though he said little of it, I must tell you, my 
father, that Galazi had made a great slaughter there in the 
neck of the donga. Afterwards I counted the slain, and 
they were many ; the nine men of the People of the Axe 
were hidden in them. 

Perhaps it shall be the Slayers who die, brother.” 

“ Perhaps, at least, there shall be death for some. Still 
it is in my mind, Slaughterer, that our brotherhood draws 
to an end, for the fate of him who bears the Watcher, and 
which my father foretold, is upon me. If so, farewell. 
While it lasted our friendship has been good, and its ending 
shall be good. Moreover, it would have endured for many 
a year to come had you not sought. Slaughterer, to make 
good better, and to complete our joy of fellowship and war 
with the love of women. From that source flow these ills, 
as a river from a spring ; but so it was fated. If I fall in 
this fray may you yet live on to fight in many another, and 
at the last to die gloriously with axe aloft ; and may you 
find a brisker man and a better Watcher to serve you in 
your need. Should you fall and I live on, I promise this : 
I will avenge you to the last and guard the Lily whom you 
love, offering her comfort, but no more. Now the foe draws 
on, they have travelled round about by the ford, for they 
dared not face the torrent, and they cried to me that they 
are sworn to slay us or be slain, as Dingaan, the king, com- 
manded. So the fighting will be of the best, if, indeed, 
they do not run before the fangs of the Grey People. Now, 
Chief, speak your word that I may obey it.” 

Thus Galazi spoke in the circle of the wolves, while 

T 2 


276 


NADA THE LILY 


Umslopogaas leaned upon his Axe G-roan-Maker, and lis- 
tened to him, ay, and wept as he listened, for after the 
Lily and me, Mopo, he loved Galazi most* dearly of all who 
lived. Then he answered : — 

Were it not for one in the cave above, who is helpless 
and tender, I would swear to you. Wolf, that if you fall, on 
your carcase I will die ; and I do swear that, should you fall, 
while I live Groan-Maker shall be busy from year to year 
till every man of yonder impi is as you are. Perchance I 
did ill, Galazi, when first I hearkened to the words of Zinita 
and suffered women to come between us. May we one day 
find a land where there are no women, and war only, for in 
that land we shall grow great. But now, at the least, we 
will make a good end to this fellowship, and the Grey 
People shall fight their fill, and the old Witch who sits 
aloft waiting for the world to die shall smile to see that 
fight, if she never smiled before. This is my word : that we 
fall upon the men of Dingaan twice, once in the glade of 
the forest whither they will come presently, and, if we are 
beaten back, then we must stand for the last time on the 
knees of the Witch in front of the cave where Nada is. 
Say, Wolf, will the Grey Folk fight ? 

“ To the last, brother, so long as one is left to lead them, 
after that I do not know ! Still they have only fangs to set 
against spears. Slaughterer, your plan is good. Conjn.^ I am 
rested.” _ lk 

So they rose and numbered their flock, and 
though it was not as it had been years ago when fir. 
Wolf-Brethren hunted on Ghost Mountain; for many of 
the wolves had died by men’s spears when they harried the 
kraals of men, and no young were born to them. Then, as 
once before, the pack was halved, and half, the she-wolves, 
went with Umslopogaas, and half, the dog-wolves, went 
with Galazi. 

Now they passed down the forest paths and hid in the 
tangle of the thickets at the head of the darksome glen, one 
on each side of the glen. Here they waited till they heard 
the footfall of the impi of the king’s Slayers, as it came 
slowly along seeking them. In front of the impi went two 


END OF THE PEOPLE, BLACK AND GREY 277 

soldiers watching for an ambush, and these two men were 
the same who had talked together that dawn when Galazi 
sprang between them. Now also they spoke as they peered 
this way and that ; then, seeing nothing, stood awhile in the 
mouth of the glen waiting the coming of their company ; and 
their words came to the ears of Umslopogaas. 

“ An awful place this, my brother,” said one. “ A place 
full of ghosts and strange sounds, of hands that seem to press 
us back, and whinings as of invisible wolves. It is named 
Ghost Mountain, and well named. Would that the king 
had found other business for us’ than the slaying of these 
sorcerers — for they are sorcerers indeed, and this is the 
home of their sorceries. Tell me, brother, what was that 
which leaped between us this morning in the dark ! I say 
it was a wizard. Wovo I they are all wizards. Could any 
who was but a man have done the deeds which he who is 
named the Wolf wrought down by the river yonder, and then 
have escaped ? Had the Axe but stayed with the Club they 
would have eaten up our impi.” 

‘^The Axe had a woman to watch,” laughed the other. 

Yes, it is true this is a place of wizards and evil things. 
Methinks I see the red eyes of the Esedowana glaring at us 
through the dark of the trees and smell their smell. Yet 
these wizards must be caught, for know this, my brother ; 
if return to Umgugundhlovu with the king^s command 
.e, then there are stakes hardening in the fire of which 
^ -’ll raste the point. If we are all killed in the catch- 
and some, it seems are missing already, yet they must 
be caught. Say, my brother, shall we draw on ? The impi 
is nigh. Would that Faku, our captain yonder, might find 
two others to take our place, for in this thicket I had rather 
run last than first. Well, here leads the spoor — a wondrous 
mass of wolf-spoor mixed with the footprints of men ; per- 
haps they are sometimes the one and sometimes the other — 
who knows, my brother ? It is a land of ghosts and wizards. 
Let us on ! Let us on ! ” 

Now all this while the Wolf-Brethren had much ado to 
keep their people quiet, for their mouths watered and their 
eyes shone at the sight of the men, and at length it could 


278 


JVADA THE LTLY 


be done no more, for with a howl a single she-wolf rushed 
from her lair and leapt at the throat of the man who spoke, 
nor did she miss her grip. Down went wolf and man, 
rolling together on the ground, and there they killed each 
other. 

“ The Esedowana I the Esedowana are upon us ! ’’ cried the 
other scout, and, turning, fled towards the impi. But he 
never reached it, for with fearful bowlings the ghost-wolves 
broke their cover and rushed on him from the right and the 
left, and lo ! there was nothing of him left except his spear 
alone. 

Now a low cry of fear rose from the impi, and some turned 
to fly, but Baku, the captain, a great and brave man, shouted 
to them, “ Stand firm, children of the king, stand firm, these 
are no Esedowana, these are but the Wolf-Brethren and their 
pack. What ! will ye run from dogs, ye who have laughed 
at the spears of men ? Ring round ! Stand fast ! 

The soldiers heard the voice of their captain, and they 
obeyed his voice, forming a double circle, a ring within a 
ring. They looked to the right, there, Groan-Maker aloft, 
the wolf fangs on his brow, the worn wolf-hide streaming 
on the wind, Bulalio rushed upon them like a storm, and 
with him came his red-eyed company. They looked to the 
left — ah, well they know that mighty Watcher ! Have they 
not heard his strokes down by the river, and well they know 
the giant who wields it like a wand, the W^olf King, with 
the strength of ten ! Wow I They are here ! See the people 
black and grey, hear them howl their war-chant ! Look how 
they leap like water — leap in a foam of fangs against the 
hedge of spears ! The circle is broken ; Groan-Maker has 
broken it ! Ha ! Galazi also is through the double ring ; now 
must men stand back to back or perish ! 

How long did it last? Who can say ? Time flies fast 
when blows fall thick. At length the brethren are beaten 
back ; they break out as they broke in, and are gone, with 
such of their wolf-folk as were left alive. Yet that impi was 
somewhat the worse, but one-third of those lived who looked 
on the sun without the forest ; the rest lay smitten, torn, 
mangled, dead, hidden under the heaps of the bodies of 
wild beasts. 


END OF THE PEOPLE, BLACK AND GREY 279 

Now this is a battle of evil spirits that live in the shapes 
of wolves, and as for the Wolf-Brethren, they are sorcerers 
of the rarest,^’ said Baku the captain, “ and such sorcerers I 
love, for they fight furiously. Yet I will slay them or be 
slain. At the least, if there be few of us left, the most of 
the wolves are dead also, and the arms of the wizards grow 
weary.’^ 

So he moved forward up the mountain with those of the 
soldiers who remained, and all the way the wolves harried 
them, pulling down a man here and a man there ; but though 
they heard and saw them cheering on their pack the Wolf- 
Brethren attacked them no more, for they saved their 
strength for the last fight of all. 

The road was long up the mountain, and the soldiers 
knew little of the path, and ever the ghost-wolves harried 
on their flanks. So it was evening before they came to the 
feet of the stone Witch, and began to climb to the platform 
of her knees. There, on her knees as it were, they saw the 
Wolf-Brethren standing side by side, such a pair as were 
not elsewhere in the world, and they seemed afire, for the 
sunset beat upon them, and the wolves crept round their 
feet, red with blood and fire. 

^^A glorious pair!’^ quoth great Baku ; ’ would that I 
fought with them rather than against them! Yet, they 
must die ! Then he began to climb to the knees of the 
Witch. 

Now Umslopogaas glanced up at the stone face of her who 
sat aloft, and it was alight with the sunset. 

Said I not that the old Witch should smile at this fray ? 
he cried. ^^Lo ! she smiles I Up, Galazi, let us spend the 
remnant of our people on the foe, and fight this fight out, 
man to man, with no beast to spoil it! Ho! Blood and 
Greysnout ! ho ! Deathgrip ! ho I wood-dwellers grey and 
black, at them, my children ! ” 

The wolves heard ; they were few and they were sorry to 
see, with weariness and wounds, but still they were fierce. 
With a howl, for the last time they leaped down upon the 
foe, tearing, harrying, and killing till they themselves were 
dead by the spear, every one of them except Deathgrip, who 
crept back sorely wounded to die with Galazi, 


28 o 


J\rADA THE LILY 


I am a chief without a people,” cried Galazi. 

Well, it has been my lot in life. So it was in the Halakazi 
kraals, so it is on Ghost Mountain at the last, and so also 
shall it be even for the greatest kings when they come to 
their ends, seeing that they, too, must die alone. Say, 
Slaughterer, choose where you will stand, to the left or to 
the right.” 

Now, my father, the track below separated, because of a 
boulder, and there were two little paths that led to the plab 
form of the Witches knees with, perhaps, ten paces between 
them. Umslopogaas guarded the left-hand path and Galazi 
took the right. Then they waited, having spears in their 
hands. Presently the soldiers came round the rock and 
rushed up against them, some on one path and some on the 
other. 

Then the brethren hurled their spears at them and killed 
three men. Now the assegais were done, and the foe was 
on them. Umslopogaas bends forward, his long arm shoots 
out, the axe gleams, and a man who came on falls back. 

One ! ” cries Umslopogaas. 

One, my brother ! ” answers Galazi, as he draws back 
the Watcher from his blow. 

A soldier rushes forward, singing. To and fro he moves 
in front of Umslopogaas, his spear poised to strike. Groan- 
Maker swoops down, but the man leaps back, the blow 
misses, and the Slaughterer’s guard is down. 

A poor stroke. Sorcerer ! ” cries the man as he rushes in 
to stab him. Lo ! the axe wheels in the air, it circles swiftly 
low down by the ground ; it smites upward. Before the 
spearsman can strike the horn of Groan-Maker has sped 
from chin to brain. 

“But a good return, fool!” says Umslopogaas. 

“ Two ! ” cries Galazi, from the right. 

“Two! my brother,” answers Umslopogaas. 

Again two men come on, one against each, to find no 
better luck. The cry of “ Three passes from brother to 
brother, and after it rises the cry of “ Four ! ” 

Now Paku bids the men who are left to hold their shields 
together and push the two from the mouths of the paths, 


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Victory! Victory f* 


END OF THE PEOPLE, BLACK AND GKEY 281 


and this they do, losing four more men ac the hands of the 
brethren before it is done. 

“Now we are on the open ! Ring them round, and down 
with them ! ’’ cries Raku. 

But who shall ring round Groan-Maker that shines on all 
sides at once, Groan-Maker who falls heavily no more, but 
pecks and pecks and pecks like a wood-bird on a tree, and 
never pecks in vain. Who shall ring round those feet 
swifter than the Sassaby of the plains ? Wow ! He is here ! 
He is there ! He is a sorcerer ! Death is in his hand, and 
death looks out of his eyes ! 

Galazi lives yet, for still there comes the sound of the 
Watcher as it thunders on the shields, and the Wolfs hoarse . 
cry of the number of the slain. He has a score of wounds, 
yet he fights on ; his leg is almost hewn from him with an 
axe, yet he fights on ! His back is pierced again and again, 
yet he fights on I But two are left alive before him, one 
twists round and spears him from behind. He heeds it not, 
but smites down the foe in front. Then he turns and, 
whirling the Watcher on high, brings him down for the last 
time, and so mightily that the man before him is crushed 
like an egg. 

Galazi brushes the blood from his eyes and glares round 
on the dead. “H/Z / Slaughterer,^^ he cries. 

“All save two, my brother,” comes the answer, sounding 
above the clash of steel and the sound of smitten shields. 

Now the Wolf would come to him, but cannot, for his life 
ebbs. 

“Fare you well, my brother! Death is good! Thus, 
indeed, I would die, for I have made me a mat of men to 
lie on,” he cried with a great voice. 

“ Fare you well ! Sleep softly. Wolf ! ” came the answer. 
“ All save one ! ” 

Now Galazi fell dying on the dead, but he was not alto- 
gether gone, for he still spoke. “ All save one ! Ha ! ha ! 
ill for that one then when Groan-Maker yet is up. It is 
well to have lived so to die. Victory! Victory!’^ 

And Galazi the Wolf struggled to his knees and for the 


282 NADA THE LILY 

last time shook the Watcher about his head, then fell again 
and died. 

Umslopogaas, the son of Chaka, and Faku, the captain of 
Dingaan, gazed on each other. They alone were left stand- 
ing upon the mountain, for the rest were all down. Um- 
slopogaas had many wounds. Faku was unhurt ; he was a 
strong man, also armed with an axe. 

Faku laughed aloud. “ So it has come to this. Slaugh- 
terer,’’ he said, “that you and I must settle whether the 
king’s word be done or no. Well, I will say that how- 
ever it should fall out, I count it a great fortune to have 
seen this fight, and the highest of honours to have had to 
do with two such warriors. K-est you a little. Slaughterer, 
before we close. That wolf-brother of yours died well, and 
if it is given me to conquer in this bout, I will tell the tale 
of his end from kraal to kraal throughout the land, and it 
shall be a tale forever.” 


CHAPTEE XXXIV. 

THE lily’s farewell. 

Umslopogaas listened, but he made no answer to the 
words of Faku the captain, though he liked them well, for 
he would not waste his breath in talking, and the light 
grew low. 

“I am ready, Man of Dingaan,” he said, and lifted his axe. 

Now for awhile the two circled round and round, each 
waiting for a chance to strike. Presently Faku smote at 
the head of Umslopogaas, but the Slaughterer lifted Groan- 
Maker to ward the blow. Faku crooked his arm and let the 
axe curl downwards, so that its keen, edge smote Umslopo- 
gaas upon the head, severing his man’s ring and the scalp 
beneath. 

Made mad with the pain, the Slaughterer awoke, as it 
were. He grasped Groan-Maker with both hands and 
struck thrice. The first blow hewed away the plumes 


THE LTLY^S FAREWELL 


283 


and shield of Faku, and drove him back a spear’s length, 
the second missed its aim, the third and mightiest twisted 
in his wet hands, so that the axe smote sideways. Never- 
theless, it fell full on the breast of the captain Faku, 
shattering his bones, and sweeping him from the ledge 
of rock on to the slope beneath, where he lay still. 

“It is finished with the daylight,” said Umslopogaas, 
smiling grimly. “Now, Dingaan, send more Slayers to 
seek your slain,” and he turned to find Nada in the cave. 

But Faku the captain was not yet dead, though he was 
hurt to the death. He sat up, and with his last strength 
he hurled the axe in his hand at him whose might had 
prevailed against him. The axe sped true, and Um- 
slopogaas did not see it fly. It sped true, and its point 
struck him on the left temple, driving in the bone and 
making a great hole. Then Faku fell back dying, and 
Umslopogaas threw up his arms and dropped like an ox 
drops beneath the blow of the butcher, and lay as one dead, 
under the shadow of a stone. 

All day long Nada crouched in the cave listening to the 
sounds of war that crept faintly up the mountain side; 
howling of wolves, shouting of men, and the clamour of 
iron on iron. All day long she sat, and now evening came 
apace, and the noise of battle drew near, swelled, and sank, 
and died away. She heard the voices of the Wolf-Brethren 
as they called to each other like bucks, naming the number 
of the slain. She heard Galazi’s dying cry of “ Victory ! ” 
and her heart leapt to it, though she knew that there was 
death in the cry. Then for the last time she heard the 
faint ringing of iron on iron, and the light went out and 
all grew still. 

All grew still as the night. There came no more shouting 
of men and no more clash of arms, no bowlings of wolves, 
no cries of pain or triumph — all was quiet as death, for 
death had taken all. 

For awhile Nada the Lily sat in the dark of the cave, 
saying to herself, “Presently he will come, my husband, 
he will surely come; the Slayers are slain — he does not 


284 


NADA THE LILY 


but tarry to bind bis wounds ; a scratch, perchance, here 
and there. Yes, he will come, and it is well, for I am 
weary of my loneliness, and this place is grim and evil.” 

Thus she spoke to herself in hope, but nothing came 
except the silence. Then she spoke again, and her voice 
echoed in the hollow cave. “Now I will be bold, I will 
fear nothing, I will push aside the stone and go out to find 
him. I know well he does but linger to tend some who are 
wounded, perhaps Galazi. Doubtless Galazi is wounded. I 
must go and nurse him, though he never loved me, and I do 
not love him overmuch who would stand between me and 
my husband. This wild wolf-man is a foe to women, and, 
most of all, a foe to me ; yet I will be kind to him. Come, 
I will go at once,” and she rose and pushed at the rock. 

Why, what was this ? It did not stir. Then she remem- 
bered that she had pulled it beyond the socket because of 
her fear of the wolf, and that the rock had slipped a little 
way down the neck of the cave. Umslopogaas had told 
her that she must not do this, and she had forgotten his 
words in her foolishness. Perhaps she could move the 
stone ; no, not by the breadth of a grain of corn. She was 
shut in, without food or water, and here she must bide till 
Umslopogaas came. And if he did not come ? Then she 
must surely die. 

Now she shrieked aloud in her fear, calling on the name of 
Umslopogaas. The walls of the cave answered Umslopo- 
gaas I Umslopogaas ! ” and that was all. 

Afterwards madness fell upon Nada, my daughter, and 
she lay in the cave for days and nights, nor knew ever how 
long she lay. And with her madness came visions, for she 
dreamed that the dead One whom Galazi had told her of 
sat once more aloft in his niche at the end of the cave and 
spoke to her, saying : — 

“ Galazi is dead ! The fate of him who bears the Watcher 
has fallen on him. Dead are the ghost- wolves ; I also am 
dead of hunger in this cave, and as I died so shall you die, 
Nada the Lily ! Nada, Star of Death ! because of whose 
beauty and foolishness all this death has come about.” 


THE LTLY^S FAREWELL 


285 


Thus it seemed to Nada, in her madness, that the shadow 
of him who had sat in the niche spoke to her from hour to 
hour. 

It seemed to Nada, in her madness, that twice the light 
shone through the hole by the rock, and that was day, and 
twice it went out, and that was night. A third time the 
ray shone and died away, and lo ! her madness left her, 
and she awoke to know that she was dying, and that a 
voice she loved spoke without the hole, saying, in hollow 
accents : — 

Nada ? Do you still live, Nada ? ’’ 

Yea,” she answered hoarsely. Water ! give me water ! ” 

Next she heard a sound as of a great snake dragging itself 
along painfully. A while passed, then a trembling hand 
thrust a little gourd of water through the hole. She drank, 
and now she could speak, though the water seemed to flow 
through her veins like Are. 

“ Is it indeed you, XJmslopogaas ? ” she said, or are 
you dead, and do I dream of you ? ” 

^^It is I, Nada,” said the voice. '^Hearken! have you 
drawn the rock home ? ” 

Alas ! yes,” she answered. Perhaps, if the two of us 
strive at it, it will move.” 

“ Ay, if our strength were what it was — but now I Still, 
let us try.” 

So they strove with the rock, but the two of them together 
had not the strength of a girl, and it would not stir. 

‘^Give over, Umslopogaas,” said Nada; ‘^we do but waste 
the time that is left to me. Let us talk ! ” 

Por awhile there was no answer, for Umslopogaas had 
fainted, and Nada beat her breast, thinking that he was 
dead. 

Presently he spoke, however, saying, ‘^It may not be; 
we must perish here, one on each side of the stone, not 
seeing the other’s face, for my might is as water ; nor can 
I stand upon my feet to go and seek for food.” 

Are you wounded, Umslopogaas ? ” asked Nada. 

^^Ay, Nada, I am pierced to the brain with the point of 
an axe ; no fair stroke, the captain of Dingaan hurled it at 


286 


J\rADA THE LILY 


ine when I thought him dead, and I fell. I do not know 
how long I have lain yonder under the shadow of the rock, 
but it must be long, for my limbs are wasted, and those 
who fell in the fray are picked clean by the vultures, all 
except Galazi, for the old wolf Deathgrip lies on his breast 
dying, but not dead, licking my brother’s wounds, and 
scares the fowls away. It was the beak of a vulture, who 
had smelt me out at last, that woke me from my sleep 
beneath the stone, Nada, and I crept hither. Would that 
he had not wakened me, would that I had died as I lay, 
rather than lived a little while till you perish thus, like a 
trapped fox, Nada, and presently I follow you.” 

^^It is hard to die so, Umslopogaas,” she answered, 
who am yet young and fair, who love you, and hoped to 
give you children; but so it has come about, and it may 
not be put away. I am wellnigh sped, husband; horror 
and fear have conquered me, my strength fails, but I suffer 
little. ' Let us talk no more of death, let us rather speak of 
our childhood, when we wandered hand in hand; let us 
talk also of our love, and of the happy hours that we have 
spent since your great axe rang upon the rock in the Hala- 'j 
kazi caves, and my fear told you the secret of my woman- | 
hood. See, I thrust my hand through the hole; can you 1 
not kiss it, Umslopogaas ? ” 

Now Umslopogaas stooped his shattered head, and kissed 
the Lily’s little hand, then he held it in his own, and so 
they sat till the end — he without, resting his back against 
the rock, she within, lying on her side, her arm stretched 
through the little hole. They spoke of their love, and tried 
to forget their sorrow in it ; he told her also of the fray 
that had been and how it went. 

Ah ! ” she said, that was Zinita’s work, Zinita who hated 
me, and justly. Doubtless she set Dingaan on this path.” 

''A little while gone,” quoth Umslopogaas ; ''and I hoped 
that your last breath and mine might pass together, Nada, 
and that we might go together to seek great Galazi, my ! 
brother, where he is. Now I hope that help will find me, , 
and that I may live a little while, because of a certain ven- 1 
geance which I would wreak.” | 



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Then it quivered and was still for ever. 


THE L/LY^S FAREWELL 


287 

Speak not of vengeance, husband,’’ she answered, ‘‘I, 
I too, am near to that land where the Slayer and the Slain, 
I the Shedder of Blood and the Avenger of Blood are lost 
I in the same darkness. I would die with love, and love 
i ^y heart, and your name, and yours only, on my 

I lips, so that if anywhere we live again it shall be ready to 
! spring forth to greet you. Yet, husband, it is in my heart 
I that you will not go with me, but that you shall live on to 
, die the greatest of deaths far away from here, and because 
I of another woman. It seems that, as I lay in the dark of 
, this cave, I saw you, Umslopogaas, a great man, gaunt and 
I grey, stricken to the death, and the axe Groan-Maker wav- 
ering aloft, and many a man dead upon a white and shining 
' way, and about you the fair faces of white women; and 
I you had a hole in your forehead, husband, on the left side.” 

; “ That is like to be true, if I live,” he answered, “ for the 

' bone of my temple is shattered.” 

Now Nada ceased speaking, and for a long while was 
silent; Umslopogaas was also silent and torn with pain and 
sorrow because he must lose the Lily thus, and she must die 
, so wretchedly, for one reason only, that the cast of Baku had 
robbed him of his strength. Alas ! he who had done many 
deeds might not save her now ; he could scarcely hold him- 
self upright against the rock. He thought of it, and the 
tears flowed down his face and fell on to the hand of the 
Lily. She felt them fall and spoke. 

Weep not, my husband,” she said, /‘I have been all too 
ill a wife to you. Do not mourn for me, yet remember that I 
loved you well.” And again she was silent for a long space. 

Then she spoke for the last time of all, and her voice 
; came in a gasping whisper through the hole in the rock : — 

I Farewell, Umslopogaas, my husband and my brother, I 
' thank you for your love, Umslopogaas. Ah ! I die ! ” 

Umslopogaas could make no answer, only he watched 
the little hand he held. Twice it opened, twice it closed 
upon his own, then it opened for the third time, turned 
grey, quivered, and was still forever ! 

Now it was at the hour of dawn that Nada died. 


288 


JVADA THE LILY 


CHAPTER XXXV. 

THE VENGEANCE OF MOPO AND HIS FOSTERLING. 

It chanced that on this day of Xada’s death and at that 
same hour of dawii I, Mopo, came from my mission back to 
the kraal of the People of the Axe, having succeeded in my 
end, for that great chief whom I had gone out to visit had 
hearkened to my words. As the light broke I reached the 
town, and lo ! it was a blackness and a desolation. 

Here is the footmark of Dingaan,” I said to myself, and 
walked to and fro, groaning heavily. Presently I found a 
knot of men who were of the people that had escaped the 
slaughter, hiding in the mealie-fields lest the Slayers should 
return, and from them I drew all the story. I listened in 
silence, for, my father, I was grown old in misfortune ; then 
I asked where were the Slayers of the king ? They replied 
that they did not know ; the soldiers had gone up the Ghost 
Mountain after the Wolf-Brethren and Xada the Lily, and 
from the forest had come a howling of beasts and sounds of 
war; then there was silence, and none had been seen to 
return from the mountain, only all day long the vultures 
hung over it. 

Let us go up the mountain,” I said. 

At first the}^ feared, because of the evil name of the 
place ; but in the end they came with me, and we followed 
on the path of the impi of the Slayers and guessed all that 
had befallen it. At length we reached the knees of stone, 
and saw the place of the great fight of the Wolf-Brethren. 
All those who had taken part in that fight were now but 
bones, because the vultures had picked them every one, 
except Galazi, for on the breast of Galazi lay the old wolf 
Deathgrip, that was yet alive. I drew near the body, and 
the great wolf struggled to his feet and ran at me with 
bristling hair and open jaws, from which no sound came. 
Then, being spent, he rolled over dead. 

Xow I looked round seeking the axe Groan-Maker among 


VENGEANCE OF MOPO AND HIS FOSTERLING 289 


I the bones of the slain, and did not find it, and the hope 
came into my heart that Umslopogaas had escaped the 
slaughter. Then we went on in silence to where I knew 
1 the cave must be, and there by its mouth lay the body of a 
man. I ran to it — it was Umslopogaas, wasted with hun- 
ger, and in his temple was a great wound and on his breast 
and limbs were many other wounds. Moreover, in his hand 
he held another hand — a dead hand, that was thrust through 
a hole in the rock. I knew its shape well — it was the little 
hand of my child, Nada the Lily. 

Noav I understood, and, bending down, I felt the heart of 
Umslopogaas, and laid the down of an eagle on his lips. 

I His heart still stirred and the down was lifted gently. 

I bade those with me drag aside the stone, and they did 
so with toil. Now the light flowed into the cave, and by it 
we saw the shape of Nada my daughter. She was some- 
what wasted, but still very beautiful in her death. I felt 
j her heart also : it was still, and her breast grew cold, 
i Then I spoke : The dead to the dead. Let us tend the 
[ living.^^ 

I So we bore in Umslopogaas, and I caused broth to be 
] made and poured it down his throat; also I cleansed his 
great wound and bound healing herbs upon it, plying all 
my skill. Well I knew the arts of healing, my father ; I 
who was the first of the izinyanga of medicine, and, had it 
not been for my craft, Umslopogaas had never lived, for he 
was very near his end. Still, there where once he had been 
nursed by Galazi the Wolf, I brought him back to life. It 
was three days till he spoke, and, before his sense returned 
to him, I caused a great hole to be dug in the floor of the 
cave. And there, in the hole, I buried Nada my daughter, 
and we heaped lily blooms upon her to keep the earth from 
1 her, and then closed in her grave, for I was not minded that 
Umslopogaas should look upon her dead, lest he also should 
die from the sight, and because of his desire to follow her. 
Also I buried Galazi the Wolf in the cave, and set the 
Watcher in his hand, and there they both sleep who are 
friends at last, the Lily and the Wolf together. Ah! when 
shall there be such another man and such another maid ? 

u 


NAD A THE LILY 


.'290 

At length on the third day Umslopogaas spoke, asking 
for Nada. I pointed to the earth, and he remembered and 
understood. Thereafter the strength of Umslopogaas gath- 
ered on him slowly, and the hole in his skull skinned over. 
But now his hair was grizzled, and he scarcely smiled again, 
but grew even more grim and stern than he had been 
before. 

Soon we learned all the truth about Zinita, for the women 
and children came back to the town of the People of the 
Axe, only Zinita and the children of Umslopogaas did net 
come back. ' Also a spy reached me from the Mahlabatine 
and told me of the end of Zinita and of the flight of Uingaan 
before the Boers. 

Now when Umslopogaas had recovered, I asked him what 
he would do, and whether or not I should pursue my plots 
to make him king of the land. 

But Umslopogaas shook his head, saying that he had no 
heart that way. He would destroy a king indeed, but now 
he no longer desired to be a king. He sought revenge alone. 
I said that it was well, I also sought vengeance, and seeking 
together we would find it. 

Now, my father, there is much more to tell, but shall I 
tell it ? The snow has melted, your cattle have been found 
where I told you they should be, and you wish to be gone. 
And I also, I would be gone upon a longer journey. 

Listen, my father, I will be short. This came into my 
mind : to play off Panda against Dingaan ; it was for such 
an hour of need that I had saved Panda alive. After the 
battle of the Blood Kiver, Dingaan summoned Panda to a 
hunt. Then it was that I journeyed to the kraal of Panda 
on the Lower Tugela, and with me Umslopogaas. I warned 
Panda that he should not go to this hunt, for he was the 
game himself, but that he should rather fly into Natf d with 
all his people. He did so, and then I opened talk with the 
Boers, and more especially with that Boer who was named 
Ungalunkulu, or Great Arm. I showed the Boer that Din- 
gaan was wicked and not to be believed, but Panda was 
faithful and good. The end of it was that the Boers and 


VENGEANCE OF MOPO AND HIS FOSTERLING 291 

Panda made war together on Dingaan. Yes, I made that 
war that we might be revenged on Dingaan. Thus, my 
father, do little things lead to great. 

Were we at the big fight, the battle of Magongo ? Yes, 
my father ; we were there. When Dingaan^s people drove 
us back, and all seemed lost, it was I who put into the mind 
of hlongalaza, the general, to pretend to direct the Boers 
where to attack, for the Amaboona stood out of that fight, 
leaving it to us black people. It was Umslopogaas who 
cut his way with Groan-Maker through a wing of one of 
Dingaan^s regiments till he came to the Boer captain Unga- 
lunkulu, and shouted to him to turn the flank of Dingaan. 
That finished it, my father, for they feared to stand against 
us both, the white and the black together. They fled, and 
we followed and slew, and Dingaan ceased to be a king. 

He ceased to be a king, but he still lived, and while he 
lived our vengeance was hungry. So we went to the Boer 
captain and to Panda, and spoke to them nicely, saying. 

We have served you well, we have fought for you, and so 
ordered things that victory is yours. Now grant us this 
request, that we may follow Dingaan, who has fled into 
hiding, and kill him wherever we find him, for he has 
worked us wrong, and we would avenge it.” 

Then the white captain and Panda smiled and said, Go, 
children, and prosper in your search. No one thing shall 
please us more than to know that Dingaan is dead.” And 
they gave us men to go with us. 

Then we hunted that kuig week by week as men hunt a 
wounded buffalo. We hunted him to the jungles of the 
Umfalozi and through them. But he fled ever, for he knew 
that the avengers of blood were on his spoor. After that 
for awhile we lost him. Then we heard that he had crossed 
the Pongolo with some of the people who still clung to 
him^ We followed him to the place Kwa Myawo, and 
theite we lay hid in the bush watching. At last our chance 
came. Dingaan walked in the bush and with him two 
men' only. We stabbed the men and seized him. 

Dingaan looked at us and knew us, and his knees trembled 
with fear. Then I spoke ; — 

u2 


292 


NAD A THE LILY 


What was that message which I sent thee, 0 Bingaan, 
who art no more a king — that thou didst ill to drive me 
away, was it not ? because I set thee on thy throne and 
I alone could hold thee there ? 

He made no answer, and I went on : — 

Mopo, son of Makedama, set thee on thy throne, 
0 Dingaan, who wast a king, and I, Mopo, have pulled thee 
down from thy throne. But my message did not end there. 
It said that, ill as thou hadst done to drive me away, yet 
worse shouldst thou do to look upon my face again, for that 
day should be thy day of doom.” 

Still he made no answer. Then Umslopogaas spoke ; — 
am that Slaughterer, 0 Dingaan, no more a king, 
whom thou didst send Slayers many and fierce to eat up 
at the kraal of the People of the Axe. Where are thy 
Slayers now, O Dingaan ? Before all is done thou shalt 
look upon them.” 

“Kill me and make an end; it is your hour,” said 
Dingaan. 

“Not yet awhile, 0 son of Senzangacona,” answered 
Umslopogaas, “ and not here. There lived a certain woman 
and she was named Nada the Lily. I was her husband, 
0 Dingaan, and Mopo here, he was her father. But, alas ! 
she died, and sadly — she lingered three days and nights 
before she died. Thou shalt see the spot and hear the tale, 
O Dingaan. It will wring thy heart, which was ever ten- 
der. There lived certain children, born of another woman 
named Zinita, little children, sweet and loving. I was 
their father, O Elephant in a pit, and one Dingaan slew 
them. Of them thou shalt hear also. Now away, for the 
path is far ! ” 

Two days went by, my father, and Dingaan sat bound 
and alone in the cave on Ghost Mountain. We had dragged 
him slowly up the mountain, for he was heavy as an ox. 
Three men pushing at him and three others pulling at a 
cord about his middle, we dragged him up, staying now 
and again to show him the bones of those whom he had 
sent out to kill us, and telling him the tale of that fight. 


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‘ That was the end of Dingaan, my father.’ 



VENGEANCE OF MOPO AND HIS FOSTERLING 293 

Now at length we were in the cave, and I sent away 
those who were with us, for we wished to be alone with 
Dingaan at the last. He sat down on the floor of the cave, 
and I told him that beneath the earth on which he sat lay 
the bones of that Nada whom he had murdered and the 
bones of Galazi the Wolf. 

Then we rolled the stone down the mouth of the cave 
and left him with the ghost of Galazi and the ghost of 
Nada. 

On the third day before the dawn we came again and 
looked on him. 

Slay me,’’ he said, for the Ghosts torment me ! ” 

“No longer art thou great, O shadow of a king,” I said, 
“ who now dost tremble before two Ghosts out of all the 
thousands that thou hast made. Say, then, how shall it 
fare with thee presently when thou art of their number ? ” 

Now Dingaan prayed for mercy. 

“ Mercy, thou hyaena ! ” I answered, “ thou prayest for 
mercy who showed none to any ! Give me back my daughter. 
Give this man back his wife and children; then we will 
talk of mercy. Come forth, coward, and die the death of 
cowards.” 

So, my father, we dragged him out, groaning, to the cleft 
that is above in the breast of the old Stone Witch, that same 
cleft where Galazi had found the bones. There we stood, 
waiting for the moment of the dawn, that hour when Nada 
had died. Then we cried her name into his ears and the 
names of the children of Umslopogaas, and cast him into 
the cleft. 

This was the end of Dingaan, my father — Dingaan, who 
had the fierce heart of Chaka without its greatness. 


294 


NADA THE LILY 


CHAPTEK XXXVI. 

MOPO ENDS HIS TALE. 

That is the tale of Xada the Lily, my father, and of how 
we avenged her. A sad tale — yes, a sad tale ; but all was 
sad in those days. It was otherwise afterwards, when 
Panda reigned, for Panda was a man of peace. 

There is little more to tell. I left the land where I could 
stay no longer who had brought about the deaths of two 
kings, and came here to Xatal to live near where the kraal 
Duguza once had stood. 

The bones of Dingaan as they lay in the cleft were 
the last things my eyes beheld, for after that I became 
blind, and saw the sun no more, nor any light — why I do 
not know, perhaps from too much weeping, my father. So 
I changed my name, lest a spear might reach the heart 
that had planned the death of two kings and a prince 
— Chaka, Dingaan, and Umhlangana of the blood royal. 
Silently and by night Umslopogaas, my fosterling, led me 
across the border, and brought me here to Stanger; and 
here as an old witch-doctor I have lived for many, many 
years. I am rich. Umslopogaas craved back from Pandf 
the cattle of which Dingaan had robbed me, and drove them 
hither. But none were here who had lived in the kraal 
Duguza, none knew, in Zweete the blind old witch-doctor, 
that Mopo who stabbed Chaka, the Lion of the Zulu. None 
know it now. You have heard the tale, and you alone, my 
father. Do not tell it again till I am dead. 

Umslopogaas ? Yes, he went back to the People of the 
Axe and ruled them, but they were never so strong again 
as they had been before they smote the Halakazi in their 
caves, and Dingaan ate them up. Panda let him be and 
liked him well, for Panda did not know that the Slaughterer 
was son to Chaka his brother, and Umslopogaas let that dog 
lie, for when Nada died he lost his desire to be great. Yet 


MOPO ENDS HIS TALE 


295 


he became captain of the Nkomabakosi regiment, and fought 
in many battles, doing mighty deeds, and stood by Umbulazi, 
son of Panda, in the great fray on the Tugela, when Cety- 
wayo slew his brother Umbulazi. 

After that also he plotted against Cetywayo, whom he 
hated, and had it not been for a certain white man, a hunter 
named Macumazahn, Umslopogaas would have been killed. 
But the white man saved him by his wit. Yes, and at 
times he came to visit me, for he still loved me as of old ; 
but now he has fled north, and I shall hear his voice no 
-more. Nay, I do not know all the tale j there was a woman 
in it. Women were ever the bane of Umslopogaas, my fos- 
terling. I forget the story of that woman, for I remember 
only these things that happened long ago, before I grew 
very old. 

Look on this right hand of mine, my father ! I cannot 
see it now ; and yet I, Mopo, son of Makedama, seem to see 
it as once I saw, red with the blood of two kings. Look 
on — 

Suddenly the aged man ceased, his head fell forward upon 
his withered breast. When the White Man to whom he 
told this story lifted it and looked at him, he was dead 1 





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